Abstract
Fibiger's announcement of the production of carcinoma in the rat stomach through the agency of nematodes has not as yet been controverted. We wish briefly to record the fact that somewhat similar pictures can be produced by other means of irritation. By suspending in the stomach cavity woolen balls saturated with chemical irritants or by injecting the chemical irritants into the wall itself, polypoid growths of stratified squamous epithelium can be produced. By using celluloid balls with spinous processes these polypoid growths can be made to reach considerable dimensions. When these irritants are applied to the glandular portions of the organ, marked localized thickenings of the mucosa are produced. The chemical irritants cause a marked downgrowth of stratified epithelium resembling the cancroid type described by Fibiger, while the mechanically induced proliferations are characterized by a marked overgrowth of the cornified layers and relatively slight downgrowth. In the glandular portions of the organ the proliferation under chemical irritation assumes the character of a cystadenoma which involves the stomach wall to a considerable depth.
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