TRANSMISSION OF MALFORMATIONS. 179 
of admitting a probe sometimes to the extent of an inch, 
or even more. Such recesses are known as congenital 
auricular sinuses; they are furnished with glands which 
secrete an unctuous material resembling ear-wax, often 
troublesome to the individual on account of its amount. 
These sinuses are usually associated with malformed 
ears; for a typical example see fig. 94. They are here- 
ditary, and often appear in several members of a family. 
Congenital fistula occur in the lobule, but they are very 
rare, only two or three examples have been placed on 
record. One excellent specimen has come under my 
observation. In this case the fistula was so complete 
that a few days after birth an earring was suspended in 
it. Only one pinna was affected. The situation of the 
fistula in this case is indicated in the lobule of the pinna, 
represented in fig. 93. 
If any one possesses the patience to examine a large 
number of ears he will find that it is by no means un- 
common to see a shallow furrow separating the lobule | 
from the antitragus, and terminating occasionally in a 
slightly marked notch on the posterior rim of the auricle. 
The direction of this furrow varies greatly ; sometimes it 
is nearly vertical, at other times oblique, and in rarer 
instances is so pronounced that it seems to divide the 
lobule in two parts. Among other variations exhibited 
by the pinna is the presence of a supernumerary tragus, 
which may or may not be associated with a well-shapen 
auricle. Two common forms are shown in the ac- 
companying drawings (fig 95). These so-called super- 
numerary auricles are probably due to dichotomy of 
the tubercle which gives rise to the tragus. 
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