SARCOMA OF THE SKIN OF 
THE BACK IN A BABY. 
By WALTER LESTER CARR, M.D., 
New York City. 
Reprinted from 
The Archives of Pediatrics, 
December, 1893. SARCOMA OF THE SKIN OF THE BACK HN 
A BABY. 
BY WALTER LESTER CARR, M.D., 
New York City. 
F. McK.—Female, aet. 7 months, second child of healthy 
parents, was brought to the Out-patient Department of St. 
Mary’s Free Hospital for Children on January 27th, 1893, 
to be treated for a growth on the back. 
The family history was negative; both parents were 
healthy Irish, and denied that tuberculosis, scrofula, 
syphilis or cancer had ever existed in them or their rela- 
tives. 
The mother stated that the growth was first noticed 
when the baby was three months old, and at that time, 
four months before she came to the hospital, it was much 
smaller and somewhat reddened. The baby had not been 
ill nor had anything injured her. On further questioning, 
however, the mother said that before she was cognizant of 
the tumor the baby was troubled greatly with the “ prickly 
heat.” 
The baby was a well nourished infant, rather fat, with 
the skin in good condition. The tumor was found to be 
*Read before the American Pediatric Society, West Point, N. Y. * 
May, 1893. 2 
Carr: Sarcoma of the Back. 
located on the right side of the back between the inferior 
angle of the scapula and the lower ribs. 
The growth had a yellowish, flattened surface, a centre 
slightly depressed, and around the edge a marginal zone 
of small blood-vessels. It was raised about three-eighths 
of an inch above the skin and extended seven-eighths of 
an inch in one direction and an inch and five-eighths in 
the other; the shape being an irregular ovoid. 
It was moveable from the underlying structures and 
evidently was not deeper than the cellular tissues. There 
were no other growths or enlarged glands in any part of 
the body. 
After ten days I observed two small nodules just below 
the tumor and decided to operate at once, although there 
was no apparent change in the original growth. 
With the assistance of Dr. E. C. Mowry I removed all 
of the diseased tissue, which was found not adherent, ex- 
cept in one place where it was attached in a loose way to 
the muscle as if extension of the growth were just begin- 
ning. 
The edges of the wound were brought together with cat- 
gut, the parts were dusted with iodoform and dressed with 
iodoform gauze. The union was complete in four days. 
There were two or three drops of pus around a cat-gut 
ligature applied a to small vessel, but it did not interfere 
with the healing of the wound. 
May 20th.—I examined the site of the tumor and found 
the cicatrix and surrounding tissues soft and healthy. No 
new growths were to be seen and the glands were normal. 
I am indebted to Dr. R. G. Freeman, pathologist to St. 
Mary’s Hospital, for the following report, which I quote 
verbatim : 
“ The tumor is a spheroidal celled sarcoma of the skin. 
It consists of a connective tissue basement substance and 
of cells, mostly spheroidal, and a few spindle-shaped cells. 
The tumor is fairly circumscribed and, for the most part, 
its deeper portion is surrounded by a layer of connective 
tissue; in places, however, this is wanting and the cells are 
extending into the subcutaneous fat.”