anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第53部分

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the　inside　of　which　is　hardly　big　enough　to　admit　his　body　and　is　closely　set　with　sharp　knife…points；　daggers；　nails；　and　similar　things。　Through　this　hoop　he　squeezes　his　body　with　absolute　impunity。　The　physicians　do　not　agree　as　to　his　immunity；　and　some　of　them　think　that　Rhannin；　which　is　his　name；　is　a　fakir　who　has　by　long　practice　succeeded　in　hardening　himself　against　the　impressions　of　metal　upon　his　skin。　The　professors　of　the　Berlin　clinic；　however；　considered　it　worth　while　to　lecture　about　the　man's　skin；　pronouncing　it　an　inexplicable　matter。　This　individual　performed　at　the　London　Alhambra　in　the　latter　part　of　1895。　Besides　climbing　with　bare　feet　a　ladder　whose　rungs　were　sharp…edged　swords；　and　lying　on　a　bed　of　nail　points　with　four　men　seated　upon　him；　he　curled　himself　up　in　a　barrel；　through　whose　inner　edges　nails　projected；　and　was　rolled　about　the　stage　at　a　rapid　rate。　Emerging　from　thence　uninjured；　he　gracefully　bows　himself　off　the　stage。

Some　individuals　claim　immunity　from　burns　and　show　many　interesting　feats　in　handling　fire。　As　they　are　nothing　but　skilful　〃fire　jugglers〃　they　deserve　no　mention　here。　The　immunity　of　the　participants　in　the　savage　fire　ceremonies　will　be　discussed　in　Chapter　IX。

Albinism　is　characterized　by　the　absolute　or　relative　absence　of　pigment　of　the　skin；　due　to　an　arrest；　insufficiency；　or　retardation　of　this　pigment。　Following　Trelat　and　Guinard；　we　may　divide　albinism　into　two　classes；　general　and　partial。

As　to　the　etiology　of　albinism；　there　is　no　known　cause　of　the　complete　form。　Heredity　plays　no　part　in　the　number　of　cases　investigated　by　the　authors。　D'Aube；　by　his　observations　on　white　rabbits；　believes　that　the　influence　of　consanguinity　is　a　marked　factor　in　the　production　of　albinism；　there　are；　however；　many　instances　of　heredity　in　this　anomaly　on　record；　and　this　idea　is　possibly　in　harmony　with　the　majority　of　observers。　Geoffroy…Saint…Hilaire　has　noted　that　albinism　can　also　be　a　consequence　of　a　pathologic　condition　having　its　origin　in　adverse　surroundings；　the　circumstances　of　the　parents；　such　as　the　want　of　exercise；　nourishment；　light；　etc。

Lesser　knew　a　family　in　which　six　out　of　seven　were　albinos；　and　in　some　tropical　countries；　such　as　Loango；　Lower　Guinea；　it　is　said　to　be　endemic。　It　is　exceptional　for　the　parents　to　be　affected；　but　in　a　case　of　Schlegel；　quoted　by　Crocker；　the　grandfather　was　an　albino；　and　Marey　describes　the　case　of　the　Cape　May　albinos；　in　which　the　mother　and　father　were　〃fair　emblems　of　the　African　race；〃　and　of　their　children　three　were　black　and　three　were　white；　born　in　the　following　order：　two　consecutive　black　boys；　two　consecutive　white　girls；　one　black　girl；　one　white　boy。　Sym　of　Edinburgh　relates　the　history　of　a　family　of　seven　children；　who　were　alternately　white　and　black。　All　but　the　seventh　were　living　and　in　good　health　and　mentally　without　defect。　The　parents　and　other　relatives　were　dark。　Figure　73　portrays　an　albino　family　by　the　name　of　Cavalier　who　exhibited　in　Minneapolis　in　1887。

Examples　of　the　total　absence　of　pigment　occur　in　all　races；　but　particularly　is　it　interesting　when　seen　in　negroes　who　are　found　absolutely　white　but　preserving　all　the　characteristics　of　their　race；　as；　for　instance；　the　kinky；　woolly　hair；　flattened　nose；　thick　lips；　etc。　Rene　Claille；　in　his　〃Voyage　a　Tombouctou；〃　says　that　he　saw　a　white　infant；　the　offspring　of　a　negro　and　negress。　Its　hair　was　white；　its　eyes　blue；　and　its　lashes　flaxen。　Its　pupils　were　of　a　reddish　color；　and　its　physiognomy　that　of　a　Mandingo。　He　says　such　cases　are　not　at　all　uncommon；　they　are　really　negro　albinos。　Thomas　Jefferson；　in　his　〃History　of　Virginia；〃　has　an　excellent　description　of　these　negroes；　with　their　tremulous　and　weak　eyes；　he　remarks　that　they　freckle　easily。　Buffon　speaks　of　Ethiops　with　white　twins；　and　says　that　albinos　are　quite　common　in　Africa；　being　generally　of　delicate　constitution；　twinkling　eyes；　and　of　a　low　degree　of　intelligence；　they　are　despised　and　ill…treated　by　the　other　negroes。　Prichard；　quoted　by　Sedgwick；　speaks　of　a　case　of　atavic　transmission　of　albinism　through　the　male　line　of　the　negro　race。　The　grandfather　and　the　grandchild　were　albinos；　the　father　being　black。　There　is　a　case　of　a　brother　and　sister　who　were　albinos；　the　parents　being　of　ordinary　color　but　the　grandfather　an　albino。　Coinde；　quoted　by　Sedgwick；　speaks　of　a　man　who；　by　two　different　wives；　had　three　albino　children。

A　description　of　the　ordinary　type　of　albino　would　be　as　follows：　The　skin　and　hair　are　deprived　of　pigment；　the　eyebrows　and　eyelashes　are　of　a　brilliant　white　or　are　yellowish；　the　iris　and　the　choroid　are　nearly　or　entirely　deprived　of　coloring　material；　and　in　looking　at　the　eye　we　see　a　roseate　zone　and　the　ordinary　pink　pupil；　from　absence　of　pigment　they　necessarily　keep　their　eyes　three…quarters　closed；　being　photophobic　to　a　high　degree。　They　are　amblyopic；　and　this　is　due　partially　to　a　high　degree　of　ametropia　（caused　by　crushing　of　the　eyeball　in　the　endeavor　to　shut　out　light）　and　from　retinal　exhaustion　and　nystagmus。　Many　authors　have　claimed　that　they　have　little　intelligence；　but　this　opinion　is　not　true。　Ordinarily　the　reproductive　functions　are　normal；　and　if　we　exclude　the　results　of　the　union　of　two　albinos　we　may　say　that　these　individuals　are　fecund。

Partial　albinism　is　seen。　The　parts　most　often　affected　are　the　genitals；　the　hair；　the　face；　the　top　of　the　trunk；　the　nipple；　the　back　of　the　hands　and　fingers。　Folker　reports　the　history　of　a　case　of　an　albino　girl　having　pink　eyes　and　red　hair；　the　rest　of　the　family　having　pink　eyes　and　white　hair。　Partial　albinism；　necessarily　congenital；　presenting　a　piebald　appearance；　must　not　be　confounded　with　leukoderma；　which　is　rarely　seen　in　the　young　and　which　will　be　described　later。

Albinism　is　found　in　the　lower　animals；　and　is　exemplified　ordinarily　by　rats；　mice；　crows；　robins；　etc。　In　the　Zoologic　Garden　at　Baltimore　two　years　ago　was　a　pair　of　pure　albino　opossums。　The　white　elephant　is　celebrated　in　the　religious　history　of　Oriental　nations；　and　is　an　object　of　veneration　and　worship　in　Siam。　White　monkeys　and　white　roosters　are　also　worshiped。　In　the　Natural　History　Museum　in　London　there　are　stuffed　examples　of　albinism　and　melanism　in　the　lower　animals。

Melanism　is　an　anomaly；　the　exact　contrary　of　the　preceding。　It　is　characterized　by　the　presence　in　the　tissues　and　skin　of　an　excessive　amount　of　pigment。　True　total　melanism　is　unknown　in　man；　in　whom　is　only　observed　partial　melanism；　characterized　simply　by　a　pronounced　coloration　of　part　of　the　integument。

Some　curious　instances　have　been　related　of　an　infant　with　a　two…colored　face；　and　of　others　with　one　side　of　the　face　white　and　the　other　black；　whether　they　were　cases　of　partial　albinism　or　partial　melanism　cannot　be　ascertained　from　the　descriptions。

Such　epidermic　anomalies　as　ichthyosis；　scleroderma；　and　molluscum　simplex；　sometimes　appearing　shortly　after　birth；　but　generally　seen　later　in　life；　will　be　spoken　of　in　the　chapter　on　Anomalous　Skin　Diseases。

Human　horns　are　anomalous　outgrowths　from　the　skin　and　are　far　more　frequent　than　ordinarily　supposed。　Nearly　all　the　older　writers　cite　examples。　Aldrovandus；　Amatus　Lusitanus；　Boerhaave；　Dupre；　Schenck；　Riverius；　Vallisneri；　and　many　others　mention　horns　on　the　head。　In　the　ancient　times　horns　were　symbolic　of　wisdom　and　power。　Michael　Angelo　in　his　famous　sculpture　of　Moses　has　given　the　patriarch　a　pair　of　horns。　Rhodius　observed　a　Benedictine　monk　who　had　a　pair　of　horns　and　who　was　addicted　to　rumination。　Fabricius　saw　a　man　with　horns　on　his　head；　whose　son　ruminated；　the　son　considered　that　by　virtue　of　his　ruminating　characteristics　his　father　had　transmitted　to　him　the　peculiar　anomaly　of　the　family。　Fabricius　Hildanus　saw　a　patient　with　horns　all　over　the　body　and　another　with　horns　on　the　forehead。　Gastaher　speaks　of　a　horn　from　the　left　temple；　Zacutus　Lusitanus　saw　a　horn　from　the　heel；　Wroe；　one　of　considerable　length　from　the　scapula；　Cosnard；　one　from　the　bregma；　the　Ephemerides；　from　the　foot；　Borellus；　from　the　face　and　foot；　and　Ash；　horns　all　over　the　body。　Home；　Cooper；　and　Treves　have　collected　examples　of　horns；　and　there　is　one　11　inches　long　and　2　1/2　in　circumference　in　a　London　museum。　Lozes　collected　reports　of　71　cases　of　horns；37　in　females；　31　in　males；　and　three　in　infants。　Of　this　number；　15　were　on　the　head；　eight　on　the　face；　18　on　the　lower　extremities；　eight　on　the　trunk；　and　three　on　the　glans　penis。　Wilson　collected　reports　of　90　cases；44　females；　39　males；　the　sex　not　being　mentioned　in　the　remainder。　Of　these　48　were　on　the　head；　four　on　the　face；　four　on　the　nose；　11　on　the　thigh；　three　on　the　leg　and　foot；　six　on　the　back；　five　on　the　glans　penis；　and　nine　on　the　trunk。　Lebert's　collection　numbered　109　cases　of　cutaneous　horns。　The　greater　frequency　among　females　is　admitted　by　all　authors。　Old　age　is　a　predisposing　cause。　Several　patients　over　seventy　have　been　seen　and　one　of　ninety…seven。

Instances　of　cutaneous　horns；　when　seen　and　reported　by　the　laity；　give　rise　to　most　amusing　exaggerations　and　descriptions。　The　following　account　is　given　in　New　South　Wales；　obviously　embellished　with　apocryphal　details　by　some　facetious　journalist：　The　child；　five　weeks　old；　was　born　with　hair　two　inches　long　all　over　the　body；　his　features　were　fiendish　and　his　eyes　shone　like　beads　beneath　his　shaggy　brows。　He　had　a　tail　18　inches　long；　horns　from　the　skull；　a　full　set　of　teeth；　and　claw…like　hands；　he　snapped　like　a　dog　and　crawled　on　all　fours；　and　refused　the　natural　sustenance　of　a　normal　child。　The　mother　almost　became　an　imbecile　after　the　birth　of　the　monster。　The　country　people　about　Bomballa　considered　this　devil…child　a　punishment　for　a　rebuff　that　the　mother　gave　to　a　Jewish　peddler　selling　Crucifixion…pictures。　Vexed　by　his　persistence；　she　said　she　would　sooner　have　a　devil　in　her　house　than　his　picture。

Lamprey　has　made　a　minute　examination　of　the　much…spoken…of　〃Horned　Men　of　Africa。〃　He　found　that　this　anomaly　was　caused　by　a　congenital　malformation　and　remarkable　development　of　the　infraorbital　ridge　of　the　maxillary　bone。　He　described　severa