io6 



and of many others, which are founded upon an irregular, 

 perverted, or immoderately operating process of formation ; 

 also of all those anomalies which are commonly considered 

 as the consequences of the reception of a fright during 

 pregnancy, and which cannot entirely be denied ; lastly, of 

 all those different maladies which more recent authors 

 have discovered in the foetus, and with which the mother 

 herself was not affected. 1 As we have already seen, the 

 individuality of every human being has its origin within 

 the womb of his mother, for here are enshrined not only 

 the mysteries of heredity, but also of that most potent 

 factor of individuality variability, to which every atom of 

 humanity is subject. The phenomena of intra-uterine 

 morbid variability are almost as numerous as those trans- 

 mitted by heredity, and, curiously enough, many of them 

 may be present, whilst the mother may remain entirely 

 unaffected. Foremost amongst these individual morbid 

 modifications in the unborn may be mentioned those 

 dependent upon a perversion of the nutritive processes, 

 which may partake of the character of hypertrophy or 

 atrophy, and which may be general or local. Phenomena 

 of an inflammatory type may also occur the inflammation 

 affecting the skin, the respiratory and intestinal mucous 

 membrane, also that of the eye-ball ; the serous membranes 

 likewise may undergo the inflammatory process, resulting, 

 according to its situation, in arachnitis, pericarditis, pleuritis, 

 or peritonitis; whilst the organic structure of the lungs, 

 kidneys, and thymus gland will sometimes be found to have 

 undergone inflammation. 



Morbid phenomena, of the nature of effusions or exuda- 

 tions are also frequently met with during uterine existence, 

 1 Steinau. 



