The Fibrin-Crases, however, accompanying, or at least coincident with cancer, are of great interest, not alone, as running counter to our theory of the nature of cancer, but more particularly because, if correctly seen and comprehended, they afford the best means of demonstrating the specific character of the cancer-crasis.

1. In the first place, it is conceivable that fibrin-crases may become developed along with local cancer. They are, no doubt, sometimes primitive, localizing themselves in the local cancers, as inflammations; sometimes consecutive, that is, brought about in the cancer itself by mechanical or medicamental influences. The fibrin-crasis concurrent with local cancer may even be of a tuberculous character, and lead to tuberculous deposition.

2. A fibrin-crasis may, however, become developed even conjointly with cancer of general import, that is, out of cancerous hypinosis or albuminosis. The cancer-crasis is co-ordinate with other, similar [hypi-notic] erases, out of which we have seen that fibrin-erases, more especially those of a croupous character, may emerge. They may arise either directly out of the hypinosis, as a conversion of the latter, or else through the instrumentality of an inflammation with cancero-dyscrasial blood, in which a development of fibrin takes place.

The cancerous fibrinosis, in whichever way brought about, localizes itself in inflammations of the serous tunics, in carcinomato-fibrinous hepatizations of the lung, as also in spontaneous coagulations within the vascular system, including the capillaries [cancero-capillary phlebitis]. Both these and the exudates are distinguished for their opacity, their whiteness [changed by contained blood-globules to grayish-red or red], their soft, lax consistency, their albuminous contents, their medullary characters. They are sometimes fundamental to cancer-formation, - the most acute and most extensive cancer-formation, - both intravascular and extravascular. At other times they liquefy to a white, cream-like, lardo-glutinous ichor. They contain the rudimental elements of cancer in redundant quantity.

In the description just given, a peculiar constitution of the fibrin under the conditions both of its organizability and of its liquefying tendency is undeniable. It is essentially proper to cancer, and affords incontestable proof of the specific constitution of the albumen in cancerous hypinosis. Where a fibrin crasis developes itself, whether in the totality of the blood or in a local process [inflammation], this peculiarity of constitution is, without doubt, transferred from the albumen to the fibrin. A proof, this, how intimately it clings to both substances; a proof of the existence of a cancerous fibrin-crasis; and at the same time an indication of the sense in which the balance between cancer-crasis and fibrin-crasis is to be understood.

This cancerous fibrinosis, in fine, is the parent of a peculiar tubercle, of cancero-fibrinous character, which corresponds well with cancer-crasis, and more particularly with such of its highest grades as have attained the point of fibrinosis; a tubercle, moreover, which, as we have seen at page 237, answers in all respects to cancerous fibrin.