40 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
Medical Microscopical Society. 
Friday, November 20, 1874. — Jabez Hogg, Esq., President, in the 
cliair. 
Dr. Goodhart read a paper "On Iclitliyosis Linguae." He had 
observed two cases, both men above middle age, both with a history 
of syphilis, and in both the disease ended in epithelioma ; in one the 
ichthyotic condition had lasted ten years. The naked-eye appearance 
of the disease is that of a thick hard white coating to the tongue in 
patches on its dorsum, and sometimes on the cheeks. In one case the 
patches were of the character of local warty excrescences, a milli- 
metre in height, consisting microscopically of a number of vertically- 
set papillae, of fusiform shape and ragged surface ; the surrounding 
epithelium was twice its normal thickness. In the plaque the epithe- 
lium was much thickened, as also the cutis vera and sublying fibrous 
tissue : at times the epithelial layer was of uniform thickness, at 
others it was seen dipping down into the interpapillary spaces and 
sublying fibrous coat, and was surrounded by a small cell growth : to 
all these changes the warty appearance was due. All this was ex- 
plained by over activity of the rete Malpighii, the supply of cells 
produced being greater than the demand created by wear and tear 
required. 
He had not observed the colossal papillae described by Mr. Hulke, 
nor the shrunken papillae described by Mr. Fairlie Clarke; which 
latter might be explained by the normal papillae having been cut 
obliquely ; still, if the interpapillary depressions are for long clogged 
with excess of epithelium, then the papillae would seem to be less 
prominent. The thickening of the subcutaneous fibrous tissue was 
especially noticed in the condensed fibrous band that normally may 
be seen running along immediately below the bases of the papillae. 
The muscular fibre of the tongue had not been found diseased. 
In order of sequence it was difficult to state which ought to be 
placed first : the epithelial growth or the excess of subcutaneous 
fibrous tissue ; but probably the former. 
The incurability of the disease might be owing to its being gene- 
rally seen when almost in the condition of epithelioma. With 
regard to this latter affection, it was hard to trace, microscopically, its 
exact relation to ichthyosis ; the general infiltration of the subjacent 
fibrous tissue of an ichthyotic patch with indifferent cells indicating 
its presence; in fact, this condition was generally characteristic of 
epithelioma in this situation, it being comparatively rare to see the so- 
called " birds' nests " of epithelium. Even before the onset of epithe- 
lioma the greatest difficulty in treating an ichthyotic j)atch with the 
idea of curing it, would be from the altered habit that the cells must 
have acquired after a long time, which would have to be counter- 
acted before the normal state of things could be resumed. 
In ichthyosis the normal tissues were only in excess ; but in 
epithelioma this was not only the case, but the epithelial cells infil- 
trated parts foreign to them, and from their very rapidity of growth 
acquired the characters of " indifferent " cells. A second condition 
