The American Journal of Cancer

Von Recklinghausen (1) in 1882 recognized the fact that the presence of "multiple neuromas" could not be considered as a purely acquired disease, but Thomson (2) in 1900 was the first to point out clearly that the condition was hereditary. Since that time the hereditary and familial character of the disease has been fully established and is generally recognized. Cases of multiple neurofibromatosis with diffuse involvement of the central nervous system are unusual. The association of this condition with multiple meningeal tumors is rare and more so when there is a distinct hereditary background. The present communication is a clinico-pathological study of familial von Recklinghausen's disease of the central and peripheral nervous system associated with meningeal and glial tumors.