364 Dissection of a Case of Hydrocephalus intemus. 



and his evacuations regular : but his head increased in size 

 beyond the proportion it ought to have borne to the other 

 parts of the body. He was naturally of a lively turn, and 

 reasoned with great acuteness for his years, — observing, that 

 it would be very difficult to regain his present lime, which 

 -was lost, in point of education. 



About two years before his death he wore a quicksilver 

 girdle, and took some very stimulating snufF, from which he 

 appeared to be relieved for some time. 



About six months preceding death, he fell, and struck the 

 back part of his head; from which he complained of great 

 pain, which brought on violent vomiting, fits, and sometimes 

 a loss of all sensation; as in a kind of lethargv. 



About ten weeks before death, a blister was applied be- 

 tween the shoulders, from which he appeared to receive 

 consicjerable relief; the head was shaved, and some stimulat- 

 ing oils rubbed in, as ol. origan, 8cc. : after one of these 

 rubbings he lost his speech entirely, and remained insensible 

 till his death. 



The child was of a spare habit of body ; but independent of 

 the head, which was greatly enlarged, had a healthy appear- 

 ance, and was moderately tall. 



The bones of the scull were unusually thin, to which the 

 dura mater did not adhere with the common degree of 

 firmness; the vessels were turgid ; otherwise the membrane 

 and its sinuses were natural. 



On raising the dura niater, the brain presented an uni- 

 form smooth surface, without the least convoluted appear- 

 ance; the tunica arachnoidea and pia mater were healthy,, 

 the vessels lying upon the surface of the latter membrane. 



The cerebrum was flaccid, and the undulation of the water 

 could be distinctly perceived : on removing the upper part of 

 the right hemisphere, although the incision was made more 

 than two inches above the corpus callosum, it ppened ihq 

 lateral ventricle: tne two lamiuje forming the septum luci- 

 dum were separated from each other more than half an 

 inch. 



The lateral ventricles were greatly enlarged, and contained 

 thirty-two ounces of a siraw-colourcd fluid; but theve w^s 



not 



