The term nævus verrucosus would be applicable to this affection, but the fact that this name is commonly applied to the soft, flattened, pigmented, warty outgrowths so frequently seen upon the backs of old men and women renders its use objectionable in case of the disease under consideration. Nævus unius lateris is descriptive of most cases of this affection, but the fact that it may occur on both sides in certain cases may cause the name to sound absurd at times.
Fig. 26.—Linear papilloma.
The papillomatous streaks of this disease (like zoster) run transversely upon the trunk and longitudinally upon the extremities. They run in the direction of the natural cleavage lines of the skin, and, though they usually appear to follow the cutaneous distribution of certain nerves, they do not always do this with any great degree of accuracy. It would seem, therefore, that the name of linear papilloma as a descriptive title was preferable to the term nerve nævus or papilloma neuroticum.