Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine [486]
in another individual, in whom there was extensive ulceration. The disease had in this case originated in the scar of a gunshot wound received during the Civil War, and had destroyed the side of the nose, the eye, the ear, the cheek, including the corresponding half of the upper and lower lips.
Harlan reports a most extraordinary epithelioma of the orbit in a boy of about five years. It followed enucleation, and attained the size depicted in a few months.
Sarcomata, if allowed full progress, may attain great size. Plate 10 shows an enormous sarcoma of the buttocks in an adult negro. Fascial sarcomata are often seen of immense size. Senn shows a tumor of this variety which was situated between the scapulae.
Schwimmer records a curious case of universal small sarcomata over the whole body of a teacher of the age of twenty-one, in the Hungarian lowlands. The author called the disease sarcomata pigmentosum diffusum multiplex.
The bones are a common seat of sarcomatous growths, the tumor in this instance being called osteosarcoma. It may affect any bone, but rarely involves an articulation; at times it skips the joint and goes to the neighboring bone.
A case of nasal sarcoma is shown by Moore. The tumor was located in the nasal septum, and caused a frightful deformity. In this case pain was absent, the sense of smell was lost, and the sight of the right eye impaired. Moore attempted to remove the tumor, but in consequence of some interference of respiration the patient died on the table.
Tiffany reports several interesting instances of sarcoma, one in a white female of nineteen following a contusion of tibia. The growth had all the clinical history of an osteosarcoma of the tibia, and was amputated and photographed after removal. In another case, in a white male of thirty, the same author successfully performed a hip-amputation for a large sarcoma of the left femur. The removed member was sent entire to the Army Medical Museum at Washington.
The fatality and incurability of malignant growths has done much to stimulate daring and marvelous operations in surgery. The utter hopelessness of the case justifies almost any means of relief, and many of the visceral operations, resections of functional organs, and extraordinary amputations that were never dreamed of in the early history of medicine are to-day not only feasible and justifiable, but even peremptorily demanded.
Varicose veins sometimes become so enlarged and distorted as to simulate the appearance of one varicose tumor. Adams describes a curious case of congenital dilatation of the arteries and veins in the right lower limb, accompanied by an anastomosis with the interior of the os calcis. The affected thigh exceeded the other in size by one-third, all the veins being immensely swelled and distorted. The arteries were also distorted and could be felt pulsating all over the limb. The patient died at thirty from rupture of the aneurysm.
Abbe shows a peculiar aneurysmal varix of the finger in a boy of nine. When a babe the patient had, on the dorsum of the little finger, a small nevus, which was quiescent for many years. He received a deep cut at the base of the thumb, and immediately after this accident the nevus began to enlarge rapidly. But for the local aneurysmal thrill at the point of the scar the condition would have been diagnosed as angioma, but as a bruit could be heard over the entire mass it was called an aneurysmal varix, because it was believed there was a connection between a rather large artery and a vein close to the mass. There is a curious case reported of cirsoid tumor of the ear of a boy of thirteen. Figure 259 shows the appearance before and after operation.
Jessop records a remarkable case of multiple aneurysm. This case was particularly interesting as it was accompanied by a postmortem examination. Pye-Smith reports an extremely interesting case in which death occurred from traumatic aneurysm of an aberrant subclavian artery. The patient fell from a height of 28 feet, lost consciousness for a few minutes, but soon recovered
Harlan reports a most extraordinary epithelioma of the orbit in a boy of about five years. It followed enucleation, and attained the size depicted in a few months.
Sarcomata, if allowed full progress, may attain great size. Plate 10 shows an enormous sarcoma of the buttocks in an adult negro. Fascial sarcomata are often seen of immense size. Senn shows a tumor of this variety which was situated between the scapulae.
Schwimmer records a curious case of universal small sarcomata over the whole body of a teacher of the age of twenty-one, in the Hungarian lowlands. The author called the disease sarcomata pigmentosum diffusum multiplex.
The bones are a common seat of sarcomatous growths, the tumor in this instance being called osteosarcoma. It may affect any bone, but rarely involves an articulation; at times it skips the joint and goes to the neighboring bone.
A case of nasal sarcoma is shown by Moore. The tumor was located in the nasal septum, and caused a frightful deformity. In this case pain was absent, the sense of smell was lost, and the sight of the right eye impaired. Moore attempted to remove the tumor, but in consequence of some interference of respiration the patient died on the table.
Tiffany reports several interesting instances of sarcoma, one in a white female of nineteen following a contusion of tibia. The growth had all the clinical history of an osteosarcoma of the tibia, and was amputated and photographed after removal. In another case, in a white male of thirty, the same author successfully performed a hip-amputation for a large sarcoma of the left femur. The removed member was sent entire to the Army Medical Museum at Washington.
The fatality and incurability of malignant growths has done much to stimulate daring and marvelous operations in surgery. The utter hopelessness of the case justifies almost any means of relief, and many of the visceral operations, resections of functional organs, and extraordinary amputations that were never dreamed of in the early history of medicine are to-day not only feasible and justifiable, but even peremptorily demanded.
Varicose veins sometimes become so enlarged and distorted as to simulate the appearance of one varicose tumor. Adams describes a curious case of congenital dilatation of the arteries and veins in the right lower limb, accompanied by an anastomosis with the interior of the os calcis. The affected thigh exceeded the other in size by one-third, all the veins being immensely swelled and distorted. The arteries were also distorted and could be felt pulsating all over the limb. The patient died at thirty from rupture of the aneurysm.
Abbe shows a peculiar aneurysmal varix of the finger in a boy of nine. When a babe the patient had, on the dorsum of the little finger, a small nevus, which was quiescent for many years. He received a deep cut at the base of the thumb, and immediately after this accident the nevus began to enlarge rapidly. But for the local aneurysmal thrill at the point of the scar the condition would have been diagnosed as angioma, but as a bruit could be heard over the entire mass it was called an aneurysmal varix, because it was believed there was a connection between a rather large artery and a vein close to the mass. There is a curious case reported of cirsoid tumor of the ear of a boy of thirteen. Figure 259 shows the appearance before and after operation.
Jessop records a remarkable case of multiple aneurysm. This case was particularly interesting as it was accompanied by a postmortem examination. Pye-Smith reports an extremely interesting case in which death occurred from traumatic aneurysm of an aberrant subclavian artery. The patient fell from a height of 28 feet, lost consciousness for a few minutes, but soon recovered