THEvolved in the diagnosis and treatment of tumors of the face. Inflammatory tumors and cysts as well as neoplastic tumors are included. The information obtained from a study of 339 patients that have been operated on by me personally, between Jan. 1, 1940 and July 1, 1949, inclusive, has been used whenever it was thought to be of value. The tissues in question were examined microscopically in each case except those of senile keratosis and nevi in which the diagnosis was obvious and electrocoagulation was done without first removing tissue.
The ordinary mole, or nevus, is the commonest neoplasm that is encountered and usually the least important. However, Webster, Stevenson and Stout1 expressed the belief that a significant number of malignant melanomas start from moles. They stated that trauma is an important factor in this. An editorial in The Journal of the American Medical Association2 emphasized this point