Preternatural fingers are formed in the hand sometimes near the thumbs, and sometimes near the little finger, but rarely beside any of the others. Of preternatural fingers, some are wholly fleshy, and others have bones in them, and sometimes they have likewise nails. Of those having bones, some derive their origin from a joint, having a common articulation with some other finger; and some arise from the phalanx, and these have no motion. The others sometimes have motion. Now the excision of those which are fleshy is easy, for we cut with a scalpel the preternatural finger all through. But on those which have their origin from a joint the attempt is more difficult. Of those which arise from the phalanx we must first cut away the flesh all around to the bone, and as to the bone itself we either chop it through with a chisel, or remove it by sawing; and in the treatment we scrape and cicatrize them as mentioned by us with regard to the wounds of bones. * * * * * COMMENTARY. Galen (de Diff. Morb. 4,) and Avicenna (Cant. i, 2,) allude to the preternatural growth of fingers. Haly Abbas describes the operation in the same terms as our author. (Pract. ix, 39.) Rhases repeats our author’s description of the method of treatment, and also mentions that of Antyllus, which, however, is little or nothing different from our author’s. Thus, he directs us first to make an incision of the soft parts down to the bone, which is to be sawn across; the skin is then to be united, and the part treated with agglutinants. When the supernumerary finger grows from a joint he directs us to make the separation cautiously; and if it grows between two fingers, or contains a bone, he forbids it to be amputated. (Cont. xxiv.) Albucasis’s account of preternatural fingers is evidently taken from our author. (Chirurg. ii, 91.) When there is a preternatural adhesion of two fingers to one another, he directs us to divide it with a scalpel, and introduce a pledget wetted in the oil of roses, or a thin plate of lead between them, until the parts heal. (Ibid.) SECT. XLIV.—ON THE OPERATION OF BURNING FOR EMPYEMA.