182 EVOLUTION AND DISEASE. 
imperfect knowledge of the mode of origin of the pinna, 
these conditions might admit of a somewhat different 
interpretation. For example, the congenital hole in the 
lobule could on superficial examination be interpreted 
as the result of piercing the lobe of the ear for the 
suspension of ornaments, but the details of the develop- 
ment of the pinna offer a much more satisfactory 
explanation of the phenomenon. A careful analysis of 
the facts at our disposal strongly points to the conclusion 
that defects due to mutilations are not inherited. 
Recently Dr. Emil Schmidt, of Leipzig, has carefully 
argued a case in which he thinks an acquired defect in 
connection with the pinna was inherited ; the facts are 
briefly these :—In the left ear of a child he noticed a 
peculiar congenital fault, consisting of a cleft in the 
lobule (fig. 97). The mother also had a similar defect 
in the lobule of the left ear ; in the case of the mother 
the cleft was due to an injury. When eight years old, 
whilst playing, the earring was torn through the lobe. 
The edges of the wound did not completely unite, and 
the lobe was subsequently pierced to restore symmetry. 
Thirteen years afterwards she married, and gave birth 
between 1860-73 to eight children. The second child—a 
boy—exhibited the peculiar defect described above : the 
remaining children possess pinne with normal lobules. 
A comparison of the ear of mother and son shows that 
in the son’s ear the cleft is situated more posteriorly and 
higher than in that of the mother. 
Dr. Schmidt, who is well acquainted with the details of 
the mode of formation of the pinna, discusses it at some 
length in connection with this case with very great care, 
