102 TEANS ACTIONS LIVEKPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



There were many centres of growth. The part provided 

 by this capsule was originally one of these multiple 

 tumours. The nodules found in the degenerate tumour 

 were most probably the remains of the originally separate 

 tumours. In the central part of the whole mass these 

 separate tumours quite broke down as the result of 

 necrosis, and their capsules disappeared and are repre- 

 sented only by scattered fibrous remains. 



Finally fig. 8 of Plate VI, representing the field C 

 of Text-fig. 4, that is, the interior of the mass bounded by 

 the capsule A shows evidently the same structure as that 

 represented by fig. 4, that is, simply a broken-down, 

 partially necrosed sarcomatous tissue. 



The specimen is worth description in detail since it 

 illustrates fairly well the penultimate fate of a large 

 piscine sarcomatous growth. Summarising, we find that 

 a multiple sarcoma of the mixed-cell type has grown to 

 impossible dimensions. Deficient vascular supply (for the 

 paucity of blood vessels in such tumours is notable) has 

 prevented the removal of products of katabolism, and has 

 starved the cells. "Stewing in their own juice," the 

 sarcomatous cells are being killed and are disintegrating 

 into " mush." Accompanying this process of poisoning 

 of the cells is probably the process of true autolysis, or 

 self -digestion of cells and capsules by their own enzymes. 

 Products of cell excretion diffusing into the adjacent 

 muscle substance have affected the latter injuriously, so 

 that degeneration of the fibres is going on. 



These excretory products entering the blood stream of 

 the fish have produced the general marked emaciation of 

 the animal. The ultimate phase of the development of 

 the growth would probably have been the rupture of the 

 tumour with the formation of a huge abscess. This 

 would certainly itself have been fatal to the fish. But it 



