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Anatomical Description of the Foot of a Chinese Female. By Bransby 

 Blake Cooper, Esq., Surgeon to Guy's Hospital. Communicated by 

 Peter Mark Roget, M.D. Sec.R.S. Read March 5, 1829. [Phil. 

 Trans. 1829,^.255.] 



The foot, of which an account is here given, was obtained from 

 the dead body of a female found floating in the river at Canton, and 

 had all the characters of deformity, consequent upon the prevailing 

 practice of early bandaging, for the purpose of checking its natural 

 growth. To an unpractised eye, it has more the appearance of a 

 congenital malformation, than of being the effect of art, however long 

 continued ; and appears at first sight like a club-foot, or an unre- 

 duced dislocation. From the heel to the great toe, the length of the 

 foot measures only five inches ; the great toe is bent abruptly back- 

 wards, and its extremity points directly upwards, while the phalanges 

 of the other toes are doubled in beneath the sole of the foot, leaving 

 scarcely any breadth across the foot, where it is naturally broadest. 

 The heel, instead of projecting backwards, descends in a straight line 

 from the bones of the leg, and imparts a singular appearance to the 

 foot, as if it were kept in a state of permanent extension. From the 

 doubling in of the toes into the sole of the foot, the external edge of 

 the foot is formed in a great measure by the extremities of the meta- 

 tarsal bones, and a deep cleft or hollow appears in the sole of the 

 foot, across its whole breadth. The author gives a minute anatomical 

 description of all these parts, pointing out the deviations from the 

 natural conformation. He remarks that from the diminutive size of 

 the foot, the height of the instep, the deficiency of breadth, and the 

 density of the cellular texture of the foot, all attempts to walk with 

 so deformed a foot, must be extremely awkward ; and that in order 

 to preserve an equilibrium in an erect position, the body must neces- 

 sarily be bent forwards with a painful effort, and with a very consi- 

 derable exertion of muscular power. 



Some Observations on the Functions of the Nervous System, and the 

 relation which they bear to the other vital Functions. By Alexan- 

 der Philip Wilson Philip, M.D. F.R.S. L. $ E. Read April 2, 

 1829. [Phil. Trans. 1829, p. 261.] 



The intention of the author in the present paper, is, not to bring 

 forwards any new facts, but to take a general review of the inferences 

 deducible from the series of facts detailed by him in previous papers 

 communicated to this Society. He divides the nerves into two classes, 

 essentially differing in their functions. The first comprehends those 

 nerves, which, proceeding directly from the brain and spinal cord to 

 other parts, convey in the one case to those parts the influence of 

 those organs only from which they originate, and thus excite to con- 

 traction the muscles of voluntary motion ; and in the other case 

 transmit to the sensorium impressions made on the parts to which 

 they are distributed. The second class comprises what may be 



