ENLARGEMENT OF THE SPLEEN. 
365 
Mr. Rowland, V.S., Oton, Notts, arrived, and held a consulta¬ 
tion with me. We had different opinions as to the nature of the 
complaint and mode of treatment: however, both agreed that the 
disease originated in the kidneys; but neither of us anticipated 
the existence of such a voluminous tumour, nor, if we had, could 
medicine have been of avail. 
Mr. R. took the case into his own hand, and informed me 
he should give the barks and dragon's-blood. 
At half past two o’clock a ball was given, and another at nine 
p.m. On the 23d, at one a.m. he died. Ten hours after 
death, a post-mortem examination took place by Mr. R. (at 
which, I think, I ought to have had the opportunity of being 
present), when a tumour was found attached to the spleen, left 
kidney, and super-renal gland. The right kidney and the viscera 
were found in a healthy state. The tumour weighed 1021fos, cir¬ 
cumference 68 inches, and, including the spleen, 73 inches. As I 
transmitted it to you the same day he died for your examination 
and opinion, I shall not enter more fully into the case; however, 
two things are certain—previous inflammation, and death by ex¬ 
cessive hemorrhage. 
Hoping this memoir will enable you to give a satisfactory ex¬ 
planation of this extraordinary growth or tumour, I am, &c. 
The specimen referred to by Mr. Anderson, and for which we 
beg to return him our thanks, was the most splendid we have 
ever seen. It consisted of a conglomeration of carcinomatous 
tumours , rising one above the other, on the gastric surface of the 
spleen. This viscus was curiously stretched out, to afford, as it 
were, a bed or support for them, and still retained, on its exterior 
or parietal surface, much of its natural appearance, except that 
it was considerably paler than it is found to be in its healthy 
and natural state. A little rim or edging of spleen surrounded 
the base of the aggregated mass, and a small portion of its pos¬ 
terior pyramidical extremity was loose, and, if we had judged by 
its external appearance, unaffected. 
On cutting, however, into this portion, the original seat and 
the nature of the disease were evident. We saw small portions 
of this viscus changing their colour; there were all shades of 
change ; and the altered parts were of various size and structure. 
There were a few spots in which there was no change of struc¬ 
ture, but only a paler hue ; there were others in which there was 
increased density of structure, and the colour was a reddish 
grey; and in others there was still greater solidity, and a more 
perfect white colour. Some of these tumours were not larger 
than a millet seed, others were as big as an egg. The smaller 
VOL. VII. 3 B 
