anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第65部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



Forster　gives　a　sketch　of　a　hand　with　nine　fingers　and　a　foot　with　nine　toes。　Voight　records　an　instance　of　13　fingers　on　each　hand　and　12　toes　on　each　foot。　Saviard　saw　an　infant　at　the　Hotel…Dieu　in　Paris　in　1687　which　had　40　digits；　ten　on　each　member。　Annandale　relates　the　history　of　a　woman　who　had　six　fingers　and　two　thumbs　on　each　hand；　and　another　who　had　eight　toes　on　one　foot。

Meckel　tells　of　a　case　in　which　a　man　had　12　fingers　and　12　toes；　all　well　formed；　and　whose　children　and　grandchildren　inherited　the　deformity。　Mason　has　seen　nine　toes　on　the　left　foot。　There　is　recorded　the　account　of　a　child　who　had　12　toes　and　six　fingers　on　each　hand；　one　fractured。　Braid　describes　talipes　varus　in　a　child　of　a　few　months　who　had　ten　toes。　There　is　also　on　record　a　collection　of　cases　of　from　seven　to　ten　fingers　on　each　hand　and　from　seven　to　ten　toes　on　each　foot。　Scherer　gives　an　illustration　of　a　female　infant；　otherwise　normally　formed；　with　seven　fingers　on　each　hand；　all　united　and　bearing　claw…like　nails。　On　each　foot　there　was　a　double　halux　and　five　other　digits；　some　of　which　were　webbed。

The　influence　of　heredity　on　this　anomaly　is　well　demonstrated。　Reaumur　was　one　of　the　first　to　prove　this；　as　shown　by　the　Kelleia　family　of　Malta；　and　there　have　been　many　corroboratory　instances　reported；　it　is　shown　to　last　for　three；　four；　and　even　five　generations；　intermarriage　with　normal　persons　finally　eradicates　it。

It　is　particularly　in　places　where　consanguineous　marriages　are　prevalent　that　supernumerary　digits　persist　in　a　family。　The　family　of　Foldi　in　the　tribe　of　Hyabites　living　in　Arabia　are　very　numerous　and　confine　their　marriages　to　their　tribe。　They　all　have　24　digits；　and　infants　born　with　the　normal　number　are　sacrificed　as　being　the　offspring　of　adultery。　The　inhabitants　of　the　village　of　Eycaux　in　France；　at　the　end　of　the　last　century；　had　nearly　all　supernumerary　digits　either　on　the　hands　or　feet。　Being　isolated　in　an　inaccessible　and　mountainous　region；　they　had　for　many　years　intermarried　and　thus　perpetuated　the　anomaly。　Communication　being　opened；　they　emigrated　or　married　strangers　and　the　sexdigitism　vanished。　Maupertuis　recalls　the　history　of　a　family　living　in　Berlin　whose　members　had　24　digits　for　many　generations。　One　of　them　being　presented　with　a　normal　infant　refused　to　acknowledge　it。　There　is　an　instance　in　the　Western　United　States　in　which　supernumerary　digits　have　lasted　through　five　generations。　Cameron　speaks　of　two　children　in　the　same　family　who　were　polydactylic；　though　not　having　the　same　number　of　supernumerary　fingers。

Smith　and　Norwell　report　the　case　of　a　boy　of　fifteen　both　of　whose　hands　showed　webbing　of　the　middle　and　ring　fingers　and　accessory　nodules　of　bone　between　the　metacarpals；　and　six　toes　on　each　foot。　The　boy's　father　showed　similar　malformations；　and　in　five　generations　21　out　of　28　individuals　were　thus　malformed；　ten　females　and　11　males。　The　deformity　was　especially　transmitted　in　the　female　line。

Instances　of　supernumerary　thumbs　are　cited　by　Panaroli；　Ephemerides；　Munconys；　as　well　as　in　numerous　journals　since。　This　anomaly　is　not　confined　to　man　alone；　apes；　dogs；　and　other　lower　animals　possess　it。　Bucephalus；　the　celebrated　horse　of　Alexander；　and　the　horse　of　Caesar　were　said　to　have　been　cloven…hoofed。

Hypertrophy　of　the　digits　is　the　result　of　many　different　processes；　and　true　hypertrophy　or　gigantism　must　be　differentiated　from　acromegaly；　elephantiasis；　leontiasis；　and　arthritis　deformans；　for　which　distinction　the　reader　is　referred　to　an　article　by　Park。　Park　also　calls　attention　to　the　difference　between　acquired　gigantism；　particularly　of　the　finger　and　toes；　and　another　condition　of　congenital　gigantism；　in　which　either　after　or　before　birth　there　is　a　relatively　disproportionate；　sometimes　enormous；　overgrowth　of　perhaps　one　finger　or　two；　perhaps　of　a　limited　portion　of　a　hand　or　foot；　or　possibly　of　a　part　of　one　of　the　limbs。　The　best　collection　of　this　kind　of　specimens　is　in　the　College　of　Surgeons　in　London。

Curling　quotes　a　most　peculiar　instance　of　hypertrophy　of　the　fingers　in　a　sickly　girl。　The　middle　and　ring　fingers　of　the　right　hand　were　of　unusual　size；　the　middle　finger　measuring　5　1/2　inches　in　length　four　inches　in　circumference。　On　the　left　hand　the　thumb　and　middle　fingers　were　hypertrophied　and　the　index　finger　was　as　long　as　the　middle　one　of　the　right　hand。　The　middle　finger　had　a　lateral　curvature　outward；　due　to　a　displacement　of　the　extensor　tendon。　This　affection　resembled　acromegaly。　Curling　cites　similar　cases；　one　in　a　Spanish　gentleman；　Governor　of　Luzon；　in　the　Philippine　Islands；　in　1850；　who　had　an　extraordinary　middle　finger；　which　he　concealed　by　carrying　it　in　the　breast　of　his　coat。

Hutchinson　exhibited　a　photograph　showing　the　absence　of　the　radius　and　thumb；　with　shortening　of　the　forearm。　Conditions　more　or　less　approaching　this　had　occurred　in　several　members　of　the　same　family。　In　some　they　were　associated　with　defects　of　development　in　the　lower　extremities　also。

The　varieties　of　club…foottalipes　varus；　valgus；　equinus；　equino…varus；　etc。are　so　well　known　that　they　will　be　passed　with　mention　only　of　a　few　persons　who　have　been　noted　for　their　activity　despite　their　deformity。　Tyrtee；　Parini；　Byron；　and　Scott　are　among　the　poets　who　were　club…footed；　some　writers　say　that　Shakespeare　suffered　in　a　slight　degree　from　this　deformity。　Agesilas；　Genserie；　Robert　II；　Duke　of　Normandy；　Henry　II；　Emperor　of　the　West；　Otto　II；　Duke　of　Brunswick；　Charles　II；　King　of　Naples；　and　Tamerlane　were　victims　of　deformed　feet。　Mlle。　Valliere；　the　mistress　of　Louis　XIV；　was　supposed　to　have　both　club…foot　and　hip…disease。　Genu　valgum　and　genu　varum　are　ordinary　deformities　and　quite　common　in　all　classes。

Transpositions　of　the　character　of　the　vertebrae　are　sometimes　seen。　In　man　the　lumbar　vertebrae　have　sometimes　assumed　the　character　of　the　sacral　vertebrae；　the　sacral　vertebrae　presenting　the　aspect　of　lumbar　vertebrae；　etc。　It　is　quite　common　to　see　the　first　lumbar　vertebra　presenting　certain　characteristics　of　the　dorsal。

Numerical　anomalies　of　the　vertebrae　are　quite　common；　generally　in　the　lumbar　and　dorsal　regions；　being　quite　rare　in　the　cervical；　although　there　have　been　instances　of　six　or　eight　cervical　vertebrae。　In　the　lower　animals　the　vertebrae　are　prolonged　into　a　tail；　which；　however；　is　sometimes　absent；　particularly　when　hereditary　influence　exists。　It　has　been　noticed　in　the　class　of　dogs　whose　tails　are　habitually　amputated　to　improve　their　appearance　that　the　tail　gradually　decreases　in　length。　Some　breeders　deny　this　fact。

Human　Tails。The　prolongation　of　the　coccyx　sometimes　takes　the　shape　of　a　caudal　extremity　in　man。　Broca　and　others　claim　that　the　sacrum　and　the　coccyx　represent　the　normal　tail　of　man；　but　examples　are　not　infrequent　in　which　there　has　been　a　fleshy　or　bony　tail　appended　to　the　coccygeal　region。　Traditions　of　tailed　men　are　old　and　widespread；　and　tailed　races　were　supposed　to　reside　in　almost　every　country。　There　was　at　one　time　an　ancient　belief　that　all　Cornishmen　had　tails；　and　certain　men　of　Kent　were　said　to　have　been　afflicted　with　tails　in　retribution　for　their　insults　to　Thomas　a　Becket。　Struys；　a　Dutch　traveler　in　Formosa　in　the　seventeenth　century；　describes　a　wild　man　caught　and　tied　for　execution　who　had　a　tail　more　than　a　foot　long；　which　was　covered　with　red　hair　like　that　of　a　cow。

The　Niam　Niams　of　Central　Africa　are　reported　to　have　tails　smooth　and　hairy　and　from　two　to　ten　inches　long。　Hubsch　of　Constantinople　remarks　that　both　men　and　women　of　this　tribe　have　tails。　Carpus；　or　Berengarius　Carpensis；　as　he　is　called；　in　one　of　his　Commentaries　said　that　there　were　some　people　in　Hibernia　with　long　tails；　but　whether　they　were　fleshy　or　cartilaginous　could　not　be　known；　as　the　people　could　not　be　approached。　Certain　supposed　tailed　races　which　have　been　described　by　sea…captains　and　voyagers　are　really　only　examples　of　people　who　wear　artificial　appendages　about　the　waists；　such　as　palm…leaves　and　hair。　A　certain　Wesleyan　missionary；　George　Brown；　in　1876　spoke　of　a　formal　breeding　of　a　tailed　race　in　Kali；　off　the　coast　of　New　Britain。　Tailless　children　were　slain　at　once；　as　they　would　be　exposed　to　public　ridicule。　The　tailed　men　of　Borneo　are　people　afflicted　with　hereditary　malformation　analogous　to　sexdigitism。　A　tailed　race　of　princes　have　ruled　Rajoopootana；　and　are　fond　of　their　ancestral　mark。　There　are　fabulous　stories　told　of　canoes　in　the　East　Indies　which　have　holes　in　their　benches　made　for　the　tails　of　the　rowers。　At　one　time　in　the　East　the　presence　of　tails　was　taken　as　a　sign　of　brute　force。

There　was　reported　from　Caracas　the　discovery　of　a　tribe　of　Indians　in　Paraguay　who　were　provided　with　tails。　The　narrative　reads　somewhat　after　this　manner：　One　day　a　number　of　workmen　belonging　to　Tacura　Tuyn　while　engaged　in　cutting　grass　had　their　mules　attacked　by　some　Guayacuyan　Indians。　The　workmen　pursued　the　Indians　but　only　succeeded　in　capturing　a　boy　of　eight。　He　was　taken　to　the　house　of　Senor　Francisco　Galeochoa　at　Posedas；　and　was　there　discovered　to　have　a　tail　ten　inches　long。　On　interrogation　the　boy　stated　that　he　had　a　brother　who　had　a　tail　as　long　as　his　own；　and　that　all　the　tribe　had　tails。

Aetius；　Bartholinus；　Falk；　Harvey；　Kolping；　Hesse；　Paulinus；　Strauss；　and　Wolff　give　descriptions　of　tails。　Blanchard　says　he　saw　a　tail　fully　a　span　in　length：　and　there　is　a　description　in　1690　of　a　man　by　the　name　of　Emanuel　Konig；　a　son　of　a　doctor　of　laws　who　had　a　tail　half　a　span　long；　which　grew　directly　downward　from　the　coccyx　and　was　coiled　on　the　perineum；　causing　much　discomfort。　Jacob　describes　a　pouch　of　skin　resembling　a　tail　which　hung　from　the　tip　of　the　coccyx　to　the　length　of　six　inches。　It　was　removed　and　was　found　to　be　thicker　than　the　thumb；　consisted　of　distinctly　jointed　portions　with　synovial　capsules。　Gosselin　saw　at　his　clinic　a　caudal　appendix　in　an　infant　which　measured　about　ten　cm。　Lissner　says　that　in　1872　he　assisted　in　the　delivery　of　a　young　girl　who　had　a　tail　consisting　of　a　coccyx　prolonged　and　covered　with　skin；　and　in　1884　he　saw　the　same　girl；　at　this　time