In an extended sense, the collective term fibroid texture may be made to comprise all fibrous tissues, the development of which has been already delineated, and the occurrence of which as a more or less essential component of various new growths, it becomes our business to discuss.

Nowhere is the insufficiency of a mere anatomical principle more felt than here - a principle which would needs occasion us to class side by side, the most heterogeneous new growths, for example, fibro-carcinoma and the perfectly benign fibroid tumor.

In a more restricted sense we comprehend under fibroid textures those which consist either of the elements about to be described or of a blastema manifestly furnishing their groundwork, which yield gluten, are benign, and in external appearance, resemble the fibrous texture. In this sense the fibroid texture enters into the composition of various heterologous growths, constituting in them the benign ingredient which cornifies or ossifies by a spontaneous metamorphosis. Or it is woven in with normal textures, or, lastly, it represents sharply defined, often very voluminous masses, in a word, tumors. The fibroid (fibrous) tumor, besides the aforesaid attributes, is distinguished as consisting entirely or almost entirely of the elements of the fibroid texture. It is firm and elastic, or else tough, presenting a mere local evil, independent of dyscrasial taint and originating in local deposition, a fact denoted more especially by its selection of a particular organ, even where it occurs in great numbers.

The groundwork of fibroid new growths are firm, probably always fibrinous blastemata. Exudation or extravasation-fibrin, or fibrinous coagula within bloodvessels often constitute these.

Irrespectively of perfected areolar-tissue fibre, as the main, if not the sole constituent of growths called, from their dense texture and their resistance, fibro-areolar textures, or fibrous tumors, - the following elements are in particular deserving of notice.

(a.) Flat, smooth fibres resembling the organic muscle-fibre, here and there breaking up into fibrils, and thus engaged in the transition to areolar tissue. The nuclei present deport themselves as upon muscle-fibre, and the textures proper to it.

(b.) Flat, broad, band-like or roundish, shapeless, solid fibres, with rough, denticulatad or felt-like outline, which are held together by a solid blastema, and here and there break up into areolar-tissue fibrils. Nuclei often seem to stand in no developmental relation to them, and are frequently altogether absent.

(c.) The fibroid blastema, an embryonic, stratiform, fibro-laminated, solid, transparent, or opaque (brawn-like), formation, interspersed, or not interspersed, with elementary granules, nuclei, and cells.

The delicate fibre network of solidified fibrin is occasionally preserved in it.

The above-named fibre-elements originate directly out of their blastema through dissilience. The formations consisting of them occur both as superficial expansions, and interwoven in normal textures, as knotted, spherical, or irregularly ramified masses (callosities); and, lastly, as independent tumors.

These various formations demand a special inquiry. Besides the true fibrous tumors, of which we shall have to treat specially, we have here to mention:

Inflammatory Products

Inflammatory Products, fibroid exudates, representing within paren-chymata, irregularly knotted, ramified masses, or, upon serous membranes, superficial expansions. The latter constitute pseudo-membranous calli of various dimensions, but frequently engrossing the entire superficies of a serous sac. They are of various thickness, which is considerable upon the parietal layer of serous sacs, of density and resistance equal to those of fibro-cartilage; in color white, or as a consequence of hemorrhagic exudation, varied with black, slate-gray, rust-brown, or a yeast-yellow. They often determine complete conglutination of the parietal and visceral layers of serous sacs. Or, again, they are smooth and even, or fenestrated, granular, stellate plates; or finally, they consist of granulations, scarcely surpassing in size, poppy, millet, and hemp seeds, for example, upon the cerebral arachnoid membrane, upon the hepatic and splenic peritoneum, etc.

The fibroid thickening of serous membranes in the shape of smooth or granulated plates, of granulations, to which last are to be reckoned the Pacchionian glands.

Most free bodies found within serous and synovial sacs.

Cicatrix-substance generally, as also the so-termed keloid of Alibert - arrested (ligamentous) callus.

The internal layers of numerous cysts and of receptacles and excretory ducts degenerated into dropsical capsules (dropsy of the gall-bladder; of the Fallopian tube).

Callosed extravasate-fibrin, in shape of central or peripheral (encysting) membrane separated out of extravasates.

Callosed coagulations of fibrin within the vascular system, the different so-called vegetations in the heart's cavities, the cylindrical coagula within veins and arteries.

The superimposed layers upon the internal surface of arteries; the soft groundwork of so-called phlebolites; etc.

These fibroid formations not unfrequently inclose within a nidus, a curd-like or puriform fibrin - the product of inflammation.

The Secondary Arrangement Of The Elements

The Secondary Arrangement Of The Elements above treated of, is reducible to the following types:

1. Parallel fibrillation, superficial expansion predominating.

2. Fibre-felt, a multicrucial fibrillation, a section of which, in whatever direction made, always displays fibre-shoots and bundles, intersecting each other at various angles.

3. Areolar disposition, of very rare occurrence, at least in pure fibroid formations springing from a solid blastema.

The two following structures, determined by a primitive disposition of the coagulating process, are also rare.

4. A network of fibroid bridles (fibre bundles), of from 1/80th to 1/13th of a millimetre broad, crossing each other at various angles, and having their gaps filled up with embryonic elements - for the most part nucleus-formations in an amorphous blastema.

5. A web of similar fibroid cords emanating from a central mass, and anastomosing with other webs derived from other centres.

These structures seem to occur more especially in fibroid formations springing from extravasate-fibrin, as occasionally met with in stratified deposits upon the inner surface of arteries.

6. Finally, a kindred form is brought about by resorption, as a gap or fenestrate-formation, the gaps being round or oval. It occurs in fibroid tumors, in the fibroid thrombus, in the vegetations within the heart's cavities, but especially in the accumulated layers upon the internal arterial membrane. It is analogous with the fenestrated structure of the striated coat of bloodvessels.

All these formations have, even for the naked eye, the aspect of a porous, cancellated structure; the gaps are, however, widely different from the alveoli of areolar textures.

(d.) A further element of fibroid formations is a cylindrical, in its parietes structureless, striated fibre, with a simple, but sometimes a double contour, inclosing granules, nuclei and cells. We have encountered this sort of fibre in consolidated hemorrhagic effusion; in old vegetations about the heart's valves; in fibred cartilaginous investments of the joints; in the villous new growths upon synovial capsules.

(e.) Another element, again, of fibroid growths is the nucleus and the nucleus-fibre in the intermediate stages, as caudate nucleus, and varicose nucleus-fibre. These elements are to a certain extent found in conjunction with those hitherto discussed, with the concurrence, however, of an amorphous bond-substance - a membranous basement. They extensively furnish forth fibroid growths, but are not very common.

(f.) To conclude, not a few fibroid new growths consist in a fibre-felt, developed within a basement either solid or adapted for membranous expansion. It resembles that in the intercellular substance of reticular cartilage. This texture is often met with in the fibroid deposits within arteries.

A metamorphosis common to fibroid textures, is a so-called ossification, and a cornification. The former is observed more especially in fibroid tumors, in fibroid exudates, upon serous membranes, in fibrinous coagula within the calibre of bloodvessels, in the deposits upon the inner membrane of arteries, and the like. The growth shrivels with obliteration of its vessels, loses its elasticity, becomes dry, of a dingy yellow color, and gradually bereft of its fibrous texture. Meanwhile a black, minute molecule, consisting of fat with the salts of lime, becomes imbedded in its substance.