ALTMANN'S GRANULES IN TUMOR CELLS

Some time ago it was shown by Altmann that the glandular cells of vertebrates contain well-defined granules which can be specifically stained with acid fuchsin, their number varying with the nature and functional activity of the cells examined. These granules are most commonly called "Altmann's granules," but also "fuchsinophil granules" and "plasmosomes." Similar but smaller granules have been described in plasma cells and lymphocytes by Schridde. A study of the distribution of these intracellular granules in human tissues in normal and pathologic conditions, including particularly tumors, has been made by Beckton, with interesting results which may prove to be of much practical importance.¹ He finds that the granules of the glandular epithelium are probably different from those of the stroma cells, as the former can be fixed by formalin, while the latter are fixed only by bichromate solutions. The presence of abundant granules of the latter type in plasma