ADHESION. 



49 



of a composite animal ; the polygastrica derive 

 their name from an analogous multiplication of 

 the digestive organ itself. Among the sterel- 

 miutha we find instances where the generative 

 system is the subject of a similar repetition, 

 each joint of the taeniie being the seat of a separate 

 ovary, though all are nourished by continua- 

 tions of one simple system of nutritious tubes. 

 The calcareous and siliceous sponges, again, 

 which, in eliminating the first sketch of an in- 

 ternal earthy skeleton, seem to lose the few 

 characteristics of animal life which they before 

 possessed, are limited to the repetition of a 

 simple spiculum. 



The formative energies of the Acrita being 

 thus expended on a few simple operations, and 

 not concentrated on the perfect development of 

 any single organ, it is not surprising that the 

 different classes should exhibit the greatest 

 diversity of external figure.* But it h;is been 

 well observed that Nature, so far from forgetting 

 order, has, at the commencement of her work, 

 in these imperfect animals given us a sketch of 

 the different forms which she intended after- 

 wards to adopt for the whole animal kingdom. 

 Thus in the soft, sluggish sterelmintha we have 

 the outline of the mollusca ; in the fleshy living 

 mass which suirounds the earthy hollow axis of 

 the polypi natantes, she has sketched a verte- 

 brated animal ; and in the crustaceous covering 

 of the living mass, and the structure more 

 or less articulated of the polypi vaginati we 

 trace the form of the annulose or articulate 

 classes. 



(Richard Owen.) 



ADHESION, Cfrom ad-lia-rere, Lat. ad/icsio, 

 Fr. adherence, Germ, wiederanheilung, Ital. udc- 

 sione,) that process, by the occurrence of which, 

 when two living surfaces, naturally or artifi- 

 cially separated the one from the other, are 

 brought into mediate or immediate contact, 

 and inflammation is developed, those surfaces 

 may become adherent the one to the other. 



This adhesion may be effected either by the 

 intervention of a stratum of exhaled fibrino- 

 albuminous matter, inorganic in the first in- 

 stance, but at a subsequent period acquiring 

 organization, and becoming a perfect and per- 

 manent cellular bond of union ; or it may not 

 occur until after suppuration has been estab- 

 lished and granulating surfaces are presented ; 

 these surfaces enter into adhesion, and in this 

 case the bond of union is not so decidedly 

 cellular in character as in the former; it is more 

 or less dense and fibro-cellular. 



In either case, the medium of union pre- 

 sents peculiar modifications dependent upon 

 the tissue on which it is developed. This circum- 

 stance, and especially the deposition of osseous 

 matter, where bony union is required, was one 

 of the strongest arguments used for the purpose 

 of establishing the existence of the presiding 

 intelligent principle of Stahl. 



If the first process, that in which the fibrino- 

 albuminous exhalation obtains, be interfered 

 with, that is, if a. more intense degree of in- 



flammation be developed, such exhalation can 

 no longer occur, but the second state, that in 

 which a purulent exhalation shall be the pro- 

 duct, may be induced. 



It is upon this principle, viz. that a certain 

 quantity of inflammation shall predispose to 

 the first species of union, which is termed 

 union by the first intention ; and that a greater 

 quantity may produce a purulent exhalation, 

 and therefore be opposed to such union, that is 

 founded the following precept. " When it is 

 deemed prudent to prevent union by the first 

 intention, we have merely to introduce between 

 the surfaces, and retain there from eighteen to 

 twenty-four hours a piece of lint, by which a 

 sufficient degree of inflammation will, usually, 

 be excited to ensure a suppurating surface." 



From the time when the phenomena of in- 

 flammation were first carefully studied, until 

 very recently, it has been commonly, if not uni- 

 versally maintained, that adhesion could never 

 be accomplished in the absence of inflamma- 

 tion. 



In the present day, Breschet* and some others 

 have endeavoured to establish that adhesion 

 does not, necessarily, imply the pre-existence or 

 co-existence of inflammation ; and as it appears 

 to me upon very insufficient evidence. They 

 say that adhesion may result from a " primitive 

 disposition of the organization, 1 ' and as evi- 

 dence of the existence of this disposition, they 

 refer to certain congenital affections, occlusion 

 of the eyelids, and of the lachrymal canal, 

 imperforations of the mouth, the anus, and so 

 on. W hy they should assume that phenomena, 

 the mechanism of which appears identical, 

 should be effected by a totally different agency 

 in intra and in extra-uterine life, it is not easy 

 to understand, and 1 believe such is not the fact. 



We may have certain of these occlusions, 

 accomplished in extra-uterine life, but never 

 without the intervention of inflammation ; and 

 what possible reason have we for supposing 

 that if these occlusions do commonly, nay 

 always, occur in consequence of the develop- 

 ment of inflammatory action, that this agency 

 shall be wanting during uterine life ? None, I 

 apprehend, beyond simple assumption. 



Imperforation of the eyelids and occlusion 

 of the lachrymal canal differ from imperfora- 

 tion of the mouth and of the anus, in that the 

 former result, not from the presence of an 

 anomalous membrane, but only from the union 

 of existing membranes, which are normally 

 separated the one from the other. In the greater 

 number of cases the eyelids are simply adherent, 

 either at one or many points, or along the whole 

 length of their border, and I would say are 

 always so in consequence of inflammation. 



The other imperforations to which allusion 

 has been made, are dissimilar to those of the 

 eyelids. Imperforation of canals opening upon 

 the surface of the body is a case in which, al- 

 most always, there has been an arrest of de- 

 velopment; all the canals which in the adult 

 are lined by a mucous membrane, continuous 

 \vith the skin at their orifice, are naturally, at 



VOL. I. 



Macleay, ibid, p. 123. 



* Diet, do MM. art. Adherence. 



