44 Account of the Dissection of a Human Futus. 



the cranium to the feet. The thorax and abdomen were 

 surrounded by a larffe shapeless mass, which concealed the 

 form of the whole upper part of the body. This mass proved 

 to be the integuments covering the posterior part of the neck 

 and thorax, distended with a watery fluid about three pints 

 in quantity, contained in two cysts lined by a smooth 

 membrane. When the fluid was evacuated, and the cysis 

 allowed to collapse, the foetus had nearly the natural form. 

 Its extremities had nearly the usual appearance, except that 

 on the right hand there was no thumb ; on the left hand 

 there was no thumb also, and only a single finger. There 

 were three toes on the right foot, and four toes on the left 

 foot. The external nostrils consisted only of two folds of 

 skin, under each of which was the orifice of an internal nos- 

 tril, but pervious only for about half an inch. There was 

 a hare lip, and a cleft in the bony palate extending one-third 

 of an inch backwards. 



On dissection, the cranium was found sorr.ewhat com- 

 pressed by the fluid contained in the cyst behind it. The 

 brain itself was too putrid for accurate examination, but it 

 was of nearly the natural size, and nothing unusual was ob- 

 served in it. The membranes had the natural appearance, 

 and the nerves appeared to go off from the brain and spinal 

 (narrow nearly as usual. 



In the thorax there was no heart, thymus gland, or pleura. 

 The trachea was sitisated immediately behind the sternum. 

 It had its natural appearance, and divided as usual into the 

 two bronchia. The latter terminated in the lungs, which 

 consisted of two rounded bodies, not more than one-third 

 of an inch in diameter, having a smooth external surface, 

 and composed internally of a dense cellular substance. The 

 oesophagus had the usual situation, hut it terminated in a 

 cul-de-sac at the lower pjrt of the thorax. 'J'he rest of the 

 thorax was filled with a dense cellular substance; and in 

 place of the diaphragm, there was a memljranoui septum 

 between it and the cavity of the abdomen. 



In the abdomen, the stomach had no cardiac orifice. The 

 intestine was attached to the mesentery in the usual way; 

 but it was proportionably shorter than natural,- There was 



ai; 



