Polypus

Polypus, in Surgery, is an ancient term employed to signify any sort of pedunculated tumour attached to the surface of a mucous membrane, to which it was supposed to adhere like a many-footed animal, as its name indicates. The most common seats of polypus are the nostrils and the uterus; but these tumours are also found in the rectum, the larynx, and the external auditory passage of the ear. The only satisfactory mode of treatment consists in their removal, which must be effected in various ways, according to their position, as by the forceps, écraseur, ligature, &c.