On the microscopic pathology of cancer, (with a woodcut) / by John Houston, M.D.

  • John Houston
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the microscopic pathology of cancer, (with a woodcut) / by John Houston, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    time, are also depicted in the drawing. Tiie opera- tion was performed at the woman's own solicitation, and I ascertained that she lived for about three years after, having died finally of some affection of the chest, which, from what I could learn, was most probably carcinoma of the lungs. [See Pathological Catalogue, F. c. 806, p. 522.] A large cancerous growth of the anterior medi- astinum, exhibited lately by Dr. O'Ferrall at the Pathological Society, and of which he politely sent me a portion for microscopic examination, I found to belong to this species. The quantity of white corpuscles was very abundant in some of the central portions of the tumour, where the disease ap- peared soft and cream-like, resembling somewhat in this respect tubercular infiltration; whilst in the lymphatic glands of the neck, which appeared to have only lately taken on the cancerous action, the corpus- cles were so free, and the fibres so dense as to give to the tumours the appearance rather of c. simplex than of c. reticulare. The carcinoma alveolate (the cancer gelatiniforme of Laennec, and the cancer areolaire of Cruveil- hier,) is most often met with in the stomach. It is easily distinguished from all the others. The basis of the tumour is fibrous, with laminae crossing in all directions, and having the interspaces occupied by cells, varying in size from that of a grain of sand to that of a large pea—all, containing a viscous, trans- parent jelly. In the stomach, the diseased growth is covered with peritoneum, through which the half pro- jecting sacculi and cells are seen. By the micros- cope, these cells are found to contain, within them, many smaller cellules, which, in their turn, include others of still more diminutive size, forming com- pound cells; and thus the process of development goes on until the larger cells in the interior wall of the sto- mach burst and pour their jelly-like contents into its cavity. Preparations A. b. 125, 126, and 137, are well-marked specimens of the disease in the stomach. Of No. 123, it is written, in my published Catalogue, All the tunics appear to be involved in the disease, the mass of which is so thick as almost completely to obstruct the passage. The tumour consists of semi- transparent, gelatinous matter enclosed in fine cells,