lymphocytes and plasma cells in the growth proper. The nuclei of a number of the tumour cells are undergoing mitosis." Bitch A. Vagina.-" Precisely the same structure as the preceding. In certain places the vaginal epithelium is intact. In such situations the tumour has invaded the whole of the tissue up to the epithelium which lies directly on the cell-mass of the growth. Mitotic figures occur in no inconspicuous numbers." Fig. 8 is a photograph of a drawing of a section of this tumour *. Bitch B. Vulval growth.-"The section shows the same class of cell, but the amount of connective tissue intermingled is larger. The surface is excoriated, and the superficial part of the growth infiltrated with leucocytes. Many of the fields, however, completely resemble those in Bitch A." In none of these tumours are any necrotic changes present. These tumours of New Guinea dogs are probably identical with those occurring in certain highly-bred dogs in this country, described by Mr. G. Bellingham Smith and the late J. W. Washbourn †. The position and microscopical character of the lesion is identical, and in both series of cases the disease was transmitted by coitus, and invaded the tissues of the vaginal walls, but did not produce metastases to the thoracic and abdominal viscera. Probably the disease is widely spread, since in the tea-growing, hill country of Ceylon I saw a pure bred fox- terrier bitch suffering from what appeared to be the same condition. CONCLUSIONS. The writer believes that enough evidence concerning the incidence of benign and malignant new growths in British New Guinea has been presented to warrant the deduction of certain conclusions. Before stating these it is, however, necessary to allude to certain facts which have not been mentioned in this paper, but which must be considered in any description of the geographical and ethnological distribution of new growths. These facts are, in the first place the frequency of chronic ulcerative and irritative process among Papuasians, and secondly, the absence of certain conditions (gout, arterio-sclerosis) due to faulty metabolism. Perhaps, too, syphilis does not occur, or exists only in * This figure was drawn under in. objective; but the mitotic figures were put in from study within. objective. †Transactions of the Pathological Society of London, vol. 48, p. 310. certain limited areas, while the advent of old age is usually unaccompanied by certain of the retrogressive changes which commonly occur in elderly Europeans. * Bearing these facts in mind, the writer's conclusions are as follows:1. New growths, whether benign or malignant, are rare both among the inhabitants of New Guinea and the closely related Melanesians of the Bismarck Archipelago and the Northern Solomons. 2. When malignant new growths do occur they are, on the present evidence, sarcomata †; these occur in men and infective venereal tumours which histologically are indistinguishable from sarcomata occur in dogs. Carcinomata, if they occur at all, are much rarer. 3. Chronic irritative processes are not per se sufficient to produce new growths in Papuasians, among whom wounds are common and practically never heal otherwise than by second intention; while probably every native past middle life bears at least one scar of con siderable size. 4. Papuasians and the Melanesians of the Bismarck Archipelago and the Northern Solomons are predominantly vegetable feeders, and do not suffer from gout and arterio-sclerosis; but their immunity to new growths cannot be directly attributed to their diet, since in Australia, where the natives make no gardens and are largely hunters, tumours, whether benign or malignant, are certainly rare and are perhaps as infrequent as among Melanesians. 5. In those rare cases of malignant disease which occur among Melanesians, the incidence of the disease seems to be associated in some obscure way with the adoption of a mode of life which assimilates to that of the white man. Further, the cases of malignant disease occurring in aliens and cited in this paper, show that there is nothing in the environmental conditions prevalent in British New Guinea capable of preventing the development of new growths in aliens. resident in the country. * The evidence on which these statements are founded will be given in detail in that volume of the Report of the Daniels Ethnographical Expedition to New Guinea which deals with Physical Anthropology. Since Dr. Seligmann's visit to New Guinea, Dr. Fleming Jones has reported a case of squamous-celled carcinoma of the penis (with specimen) in a native of the Solomon Islands who had lived many years in New Guinea, and a case of epithelioma of the anus in a female Papuan. He also forwarded a specimen of widely disseminated sarcomatous growth from a hen. Dr. Beaumont has reported (with specimen) a case of melanotic sarcoma of the dorsum of the foot in a Papuan.-E. F. B. THE ZOOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION OF CANCER. By J. A. MURRAY, M.B., B.Sc. In the First Scientific Report we recorded with Bashford, the occurrence of malignant new growths in various classes of vertebrates from mammals to fishes, and drew attention to the important bearing which this wide zoological distribution of cancer had on various conceptions which had been formulated as to the nature and etiology of the disease. Since then we have continued to receive specimens of tumours. and tumour-like formations in lower animals. The results of the examination of this material, limited as it has proved in many directions, have confirmed the conclusions advanced in 1903-4 as to the ubiquity, and one may say homogeneity, of malignant new growths wherever they occur, For this material we have again to acknowledge our indebtedness to many private individuals, members of the Medical and Veterinary professions, to working zoologists and physiologists, and in a very special manner to the Director of the Marine Biological Association's Laboratory at Plymouth, Dr. E. J. Allen and his collaborators, as well as to the authorities of the similar institution at Lowestoft. The small number of specimens described below gives no idea of the mass of material examined or of the labour devolving on those who have so generously supported our endeavours in this matter. Before proceeding to a detailed description of individual tumours of more particular interest, it is important to note that the material at our disposal now embraces a very extensive series of cases of carcinoma of the skin from very widely separated groups of animals. The descriptions and figures which follow will show how very uniformly the characteristic features of malignant new growths of the external covering of the body are reproduced in the representatives of the different classes of vertebrates. MAMMALS. The malignant new growths of the mammals are in all respects so similar to those occurring in man that descriptions of individual tumours will not be given, but, as in the First Scientific Report, a tabular statement of all the cases examined since its appearance may suffice. The references to the occurrence of cancer in mammals have increased in frequency in recent years. Thus Pettit described (Bull. Mus. Hist. Naturelle, Paris, 1897, 1900) a sarcoma of the thyroid in a jackal, a squamous-celled carcinoma of the cervix uteri in a gazelle, a small round-celled sarcoma in a bear (abdominal growth), a carcinoma of the parotid in a jackal, and a carcinoma of the thyroid in an opossum. Dr. Burton Clelland, Government Bacteriologist, Western Australia, has forwarded us a carcinoma of the mamma from an old lioness. Lubarsch has described a carcinoma of the kidney in a rabbit, which he transplanted without success. Trotter has shown that malignant adenoma of the liver parenchyma (cf. fig. 1) and carcinoma of the uterus is by no means uncommon in cows, and has published a good account of their pathological features. Welsh has recorded the occurrence of malignant new growths in a lioness, a tigress, and in a marsupial (Dasyurus viverrinus). Sticker has published an account of a large number of tumours in the dog, cat, sheep, and other domesticated mammals. Loeb has drawn attention to the frequency of squamouscelled carcinoma of the caruncula of the eye in cattle in the Western United States. In addition, a large number of isolated instances of new growths of various organs continue to be described in the veterinary journals, but need not be referred to in greater detail. The occurrence of carcinoma of the mamma (udder) and uterus in cows is a matter of more particular interest, and we desire to thank Mr. A. M. Trotter for supplying us with specimens. The relative frequency in our own experience of malignant growths on the surface of the body will be apparent at once. The determining factor here is obviously the ease with which the physical examination can be carried out. This consideration has more and more influence on the frequency and situation of the cases recorded as we pass to animals which are more difficult to handle, or in which the lesions occur as miniatures of those in man, as, e. g., in the case of the mouse, which is two to three thousand times smaller than a man by weight, and in which the anatomical lesions of cancer, whether primary or secondary, are correspondingly diminutive and difficult to detect |