822 



DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



at the broken part, under pressure of the thumb, while the line of 

 fracture Avas scarcely to be seen. Neither was there any blush of 

 marginal redness to indicate the commencement of reparatory 

 vascular action. But, although that navicular-bone is exceptional 

 among my morbid specimens of the kind, in regard to the absence 

 of obvious excavation, 1 am not prepared to testify to its being in a 

 normal state; on the contrary, I suspect — for no analysis of the 

 boi^c, still in my possession, has been performed — that its constitu 

 tion was defective, and that the bone was destitute of natura 

 strength. The wasted, deformed, and weakened state of the coffin- 

 bone is extraordinary, and quite accords with all my experience, 

 gained by these investigations, that such casualties of the navicular 



Fig. 727. 



bone are secondary, and due to the partial destruction of both sub- 

 stance and functions of the coffin-bone. 



Fig. 726 illustrates a typical case of advanced navicular disease, 

 apart from the complications which commonly ensue as additional 

 consequences. 



The never absent accompanying phenomenon, atrophy of the 

 coffin-bone, is, however, well marked in this case. In the navicular 

 bone itself, two openings into chambei'ed cavities of the bone are 

 seen about the middle of the hindmost and lower surface, and an 

 oblong excavation is observable on the lower inner margin of the 

 bone. 



The above figure represents a case of navicular disease, not 

 essentiall}^ different in character ft-om that last described; only 

 that this was a worse case, with more complications and extensive 

 ulceration. I adduce it, not to show t)»e little difference, or to pro- 

 duce a duplicate, but because the case has a history worth relatiug. 



