Anomalies and Curiosities of MedicineGould, George M. (George Milbrey)
Science
Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine
Gould, George M. (George Milbrey)
Abnormalities, Human; Medicine -- Anecdotes
Anomalies of the Lips.--The aboriginal tribes are particularly noted
for their large and thick lips, some of which people consider enormous
lips signs of adornment. Elephantiasis or other pathologic hypertrophy
of the labial tissues can produce revolting deformity, such as is seen
in Figure 100, representing an individual who was exhibited several
years ago in Philadelphia. We have in English the expression, "pulling
a long lip." Its origin is said to date back to a semimythical hero of
King Arthur's time, who, "when sad at heart and melancholic," would let
one of his lips drop below his waist, while he turned the other up like
a cap on his head.
Blot records a case of monstrous congenital hypertrophy of the superior
lip in an infant of eight months. Buck successfully treated by surgical
operations a case of congenital hypertrophy of the under lip, and
Detmold mentions a similar result in a young lady with hypertrophy of
the lip and lower part of the nose. Murray reports an undescribed
malformation of the lower lip occurring in one family.
Hare-lip may be unilateral or double, and may or may not include the
palatine arch. In the worst cases it extends in fissures on both sides
to the orbit. In other cases the minimum degree of this deformity is
seen.
Congenital absence of the tongue does not necessarily make speech,
taste, or deglutition impossible. Jussieu cites the case of a girl who
was born without a tongue but who spoke very distinctly. Berdot
describes a case in which the tongue was deficient, without apparent
disturbance of any of the functions. Riolan mentions speech after loss
of the tongue from small-pox.
Boddington gives an account of Margaret Cutting, who spoke readily and
intelligibly, although she had lost her tongue. Saulquin has an
observation of a girl without a tongue who spoke, sang, and swallowed
normally. Aurran, Bartholinus, Louis, Parsons, Tulpius, and others
mention speech without the presence of a tongue.
Philib reports a case in which mutism, almost simulating that of one
congenitally deaf, was due to congenital adhesions of the tongue to the
floor of the buccal cavity. Speech was established after removal of the
abnormal adhesion. Routier speaks of ankylosis of the tongue of
seventeen years' duration.
Jurist records such abnormal mobility of the tongue that the patient
was able to project the tongue into the nasopharynx. Wherry and
Winslow record similar instances.
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