406 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol.LII 



Such a nomenclature of known reactive facts has 

 served the writer as a convenient, simple and practical, 

 biologic, histologic and clinical terminology. The writer 

 does not mean that these terms should be utilized to des- 

 ignate neoplasms. They apply only to the tissue-reac- 

 tion, which is, after all, the essential thing to be consid- 

 ered. Animal and vegetable neoplasms represent only 

 phases of such reaction. 



From a clinical standpoint, a hypertrophy and hyper- 

 plasia with complete tissue differentiation (restauro- 

 cytoplasia) represents tissue regeneration, which is a 

 benign condition, since it is normally reconstructive from 

 a communistic standpoint instead of destructive. A 

 hyperplasia without tissue differentiation (expando- 

 cytoplasia) represents a condition of the cells in which 

 no one can foretell whether the cells will become differ- 

 entiated into tissues, and thereby be constructive, or mi- 

 grate and become destructive. 



Such a condition is, therefore, in the presence of sci- 

 ence, a questionable condition. Its benignancy or malig- 

 nancy, in so far as the organization is concerned, with 

 our present knowledge, can not be forecast. The proba- 

 bility of possible migration may be suspected from the 

 frequent morphologic identity of these undifferentiated 

 cells to the migratory cells of a known malignant or can- 

 cerous condition, the only difference being their location. 



Biologically considered, primary cytoplasia represents 

 a tissue regenerative condition, the secondary cytoplasia 

 represents a neoplastic condition, and tertiary cytoplasia 

 represents a neoplastic migration to regions foreign to 

 the cells in question. The whole field of tissue replace- 

 ment, tissue regeneration and benign and malignant (can- 

 cerous) neoplasmata (new growths) is comprehended in 

 these three groups. 



The following diagram represents the relation of ma- 

 lignant (cancerous) and so-called benign neoplasms to 

 the evolution and organization of the human body : 



