In an article on "Congenital Cysts and Fistulae of the Neck,"1 published in the Annals of Surgery in 1932, I went into detail as to the embryologic development of the branchial apparatus and of the analge of the thymus.
In July 1935 a boy 9 years of age was referred to me through the courtesy of Dr. Tumen, who had observed the child for a number of years. The boy was born with a small opening on the lateral side of his neck just in front of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and just below the angle of the mandible, on a level with the hyoid bone. It was first noticed when he was 5 months old, when it was an opening the size of a pinpoint. The mother stated that colorless matter came out. A swelling developed below the left ear, and when the boy was 18 months old the