158 THOMPSON YATES AND JOHNSTON LABORATORIES REPORT 
Pieces of the primary tumour including the muscular wall, and of the secon- 
dary deposits in the lung, were hardened in Plimmer's solution, and a number of 
sections cut. Examining the primary tumour, no trace of the uterine mucosa was to 
be found, the internal surface being occupied by a mass of necrotic tissue, consisting 
of fibrin, a few spindle cells, blood corpuscles, dense masses of leucocytes, and a number 
of badly stained cocci. Owing to the difficulty in demonstrating these latter satisfac- 
torily, it is impossible to say definitely if they were streptococci, though in several 
instances, the organisms were seen in small chains, and as the tissue had been put into 
hardening fluid before it was sent to me, I was unable to make cultures from it. 
Passing outwards, we find that this superficial area of necrosis is not sharply 
demarcated from the adjacent tumour tissue, but becomes gradually merged into it. 
In this neighbourhood, the remains of cells can be clearly made out, from most of 
which the nuclei have disappeared, although a taint outline can be traced in some 
instances. 
A number of small broken-up protoplasmic masses are seen, staining 
badly, almost entirely devoid of nuclei and of those granules which are so charac- 
teristic of the growing syncytium. It is to be specially noted that neither here, nor in 
any other part of the section, are decidual cells present. The uterine glands have 
entirely disappeared, and no trace is found in any section of the superficial 
epithelium. 
Passing further outwards, we come on the true tumour tissue. This is seen 
to be in a state of active growth. As seen under the low power, the most 
characteristic points to be noted are the irregular masses of cells forming a coarsely 
reticular meshwork, enclosing large haemorrhagic areas. On closer examination of 
the blood in these spaces, it is found that, in the larger areas, disorganization of the 
corpuscles is going on and fine threads of fibrin are seen traversing the coagulum. 
In the smaller spaces, the blood appears more recent. The red corpuscles 
have retained their shape and taken on a pink stain with eosin. The white cells are 
seen to be greatly in excess, their nuclei have stained well and shew many varieties, 
the large multipartite and mononuclear predominating. It is specially noted that the 
blood here is not enclosed in blood vessels, or even in spaces lined by endothelium, 
but lies free, in direct contact with the tumour cells now to be described. 
On examining, even with the low power, it is at once apparent that two 
varieties of cells are present ; one kind made up of irregular bands, oval or circular 
masses of protoplasm containing numerous deeply staining nuclei ; the other smaller, 
oval cells, in some places massed together in such profusion that no cell wall is 
visible, having smaller and more transparent nuclei. These cells alone, together with 
the blood spaces already described, make up the entire mass of the tumour. There 
is no connective tissue stroma between the cells, and no intercellular structure of any 
kind has been observed. 
