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 Feet.--Hatte has seen a woman who bore a child that
had three feet. Bull gives a description of a female infant with the
left foot double or cloven. There was only one heel, but the anterior
portion consisted of an anterior and a posterior part. The anterior
foot presented a great toe and four smaller ones, but deformed like an
example of talipes equinovarus. Continuous with the outer edge of the
anterior part and curving beneath it was a posterior part, looking not
unlike a second foot, containing six well-formed toes situated directly
beneath the other five. The eleven toes were all perfect and none of
them were webbed.
There is a class of monsters called "Sirens" on account of their
resemblance to the fabulous creatures of mythology of that name. Under
the influence of compression exercised in the uterus during the early
period of gestation fusion of the inferior extremities is effected. The
accompanying illustration shows the appearance of these monsters, which
are thought to resemble the enchantresses celebrated by Homer.
Anomalies of the Hand.--Blumenbach speaks of an officer who, having
lost his right hand, was subsequently presented by his wife with
infants of both sexes showing the same deformity. Murray cites the
instance of a woman of thirty-eight, well developed, healthy, and the
mother of normal children, who had a double hand. The left arm was
abnormal, the flexion of the elbow imperfect, and the forearm
terminated in a double hand with only rudimentary thumbs. In working as
a charwoman she leaned on the back of the flexed carpus. The double
hand could grasp firmly, though the maximum power was not so great as
that of the right hand. Sensation was equally acute in all three of the
hands. The middle and ring fingers of the supernumerary hand were
webbed as far as the proximal joints, and the movements of this hand
were stiff and imperfect. No single finger of the two hands could be
extended while the other seven were flexed. Giraldes saw an infant in
1864 with somewhat the same deformity, but in which the disposition of
the muscles and tendons permitted the ordinary movements.
Absence of Digits.--Maygrier describes a woman of twenty-four who
instead of having a hand on each arm had only one finger, and each foot
had but two toes. She was delivered of two female children in 1827 and
one in 1829, each having exactly the same deformities. Her mother was
perfectly formed, but the father had but one toe on his foot and one
finger on his left hand.
Kohler gives photographs of quite a remarkable case of suppression and
deformity of the digits of both the fingers and toes.
Figure 123 shows a man who was recently exhibited in Philadelphia. He
had but two fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot, and
resembles Kohler's case in the anomalous digital conformation.
Figure 124 represents an exhibitionist with congenital suppression of
four digits on each hand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account