Macrodactyly, and some other forms of congenital overgrowth, and their relation to tumours / by Sir George Murray Humphry.

  • Humphry, George Murray, Sir, 1820-1896.
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Macrodactyly, and some other forms of congenital overgrowth, and their relation to tumours / by Sir George Murray Humphry. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    MACRODACTYLY. hypertrophies above described are obviously mere enlarge- ments or overgrowths of normal tissues, of a finger, a toe, a lip, or a tongue, which in some instances proceed in- definitely, in some cease to increase after a time, in some extend to the surrounding tissues, and in some remain limited to the part first affected. N^vus is a similar condition of blood-vessels, com- mencing usually a little before birth, and spreading for a time, but commonly for a limited time only. Moles or mother-marks, in which the cutis is thick and pigmented, sometimes nsevoid or tuberculated, and usually with overgrowth of hair, now and then continue to increase after birth, or start an increase at some later period, as in a case I lately saw where the tubercles grew out into masses requiring removal. The other f(etal tumours, consisting of cysts, serous or dermoid, of cartilage, bone, fat, or other structures (the so-called “ parasites are probably, for the most part, of this nature), often exhibit, as might be expected at the time of life when development is in high activity, an in- subordination of developmental force as well as of growth, which leads to variation, it may be to undue exaltation, of structure, as well to increase of size, as evinced by the presence of cartilage, bone, skin, and even glandular structure. These tumours usually remain localised, and commonly, as exemplified by the supra-orbital dermoids, cease to grow after a time, their developmental and growing tendencies ceasing with the diminishing deve- lopmental and growing forces of the body. They are fully as well accounted for by an excessive growth and change of normally existing germs as by the pre- sence of superabundant germs and an excessive growth of them. That such manifestations of variety and exalta- tion of structure should be observed in the ovary (they are probably congenital or occurring in early life) is in ac- cordance with the marvellous formative properties of the Graafian bodies of that organ when normally acting under the influence of the natural stimulus.