FCETUS. 



325 



regarding it as simply the result of inflamma- 

 tion and gangrene. Haller evidently was not 

 aware of any such case, for although he gives 

 a long list of extraordinary mutilations of the 

 foetus, he considers them as the result of im- 

 perfect development or malformation, and not 

 of separation or removal exports already formed; 

 for he expressly objects to the authors who have 

 furnished such descriptions, that they cannot 

 even quote one instance in which " manus 

 truncata, aliusve artus, in membranis foetus 

 seorsim a corpore, repertus sit."* Having 

 sought with diligence through authors, the only 

 cases which I have been able to find are those 

 which I shall now briefly mention. 



In the 54th volume of the Lond. Med. 

 Phys. Journ. Mr. Watkinson states, that being 

 in attendance on a lady twenty years of age in 

 her first labour, which was natural and easy, 

 he discovered, on the birth of the child, that 

 the left foot had been amputated a little above 

 the ankle, and the part was nearly but not 

 quite healed, the bones protruding a little. 

 The child was alive, but survived only a few 

 minutes ; on making further search the ampu- 

 tated foot was found in utero, and it, also, was 

 nearly healed. There did not appear to have 

 been any haemorrhage from the limb ; the sepa- 

 rated foot was much smaller than the other; it 

 shewed no mark of putrefaction, but appeared 

 to be in a state of perfect preservation, not 

 being even discoloured. The mother had not 

 met with any accident nor any particular mental 

 emotion, and she was sufficiently independent 

 to render unnecessary any over-exertion on her 

 part. Mr. Watkinson offers no opinion on the 

 nature or cause of the accident. The annexed 

 sketch represents the condition of the parts. 



Fig. 154. 



Chaussierf mentions having examined two 

 cases in which separation of a part of the fore- 

 arm had taken place before birth, and in a 

 third case he found the separated portion of the 

 arm and hand lying apart, and the stump of the 

 limb healed. 



Chaussier also attributes the accident to gan- 

 grene as the cause which would most obviously 

 account for its production, though it does not 

 appear from his account that there were present 

 any of the pathological evidences of that con- 

 dition ; and in the case first related the child 

 was born alive, and it is expressly mentioned 

 that neither the stump of the limb nor the part 

 amputated shewed any symptom of disorganiza- 

 tion or disease, not being even discoloured. 



The next case was one occurring in my own 

 practice, and appears to me of great importance 

 as exhibiting the amputation absolutely in pro- 

 gress, under the influence of the agent which 

 I believe to be the general, and, most probably, 

 the invariable cause of its occurrence. 



About eight years since I attended a patient 

 under circumstances of considerable danger 

 from haemorrhage attending abortion in the fifth 

 month, and on the expulsion of the foetus its 

 singular conformation fortunately attracted my 

 attention strongly, and induced me to examine 

 it with care. The head was mis-shapen and 

 monstrous, the brain covered only by integu- 

 ment, and towering upwards like a helmet 

 over the head ; but the circumstance deserving 

 of especial notice was the appearance of com- 

 plete ligaments surrounding the limbs, and on 

 examining them closely I found that they con- 

 sisted of distinct threads, passingfrom both hands 

 downwards to the legs (see/g. 155) ; at one end, 



Fig. 155. 



* Elementa Physiologiae, t. viii. p. 1! 

 t Discours prononce a 1'Hospice de la 

 1812. 



135. 



Maternitc, 



each of these threads or fine cords had formed 

 a complete ligature round the middle of each 

 hand, causing a distinct depression where it 

 passed, the part of the hand below it being 

 almost completely undeveloped. From the 

 hands these cords descended towards the legs, 

 which were crossed, and surrounding them "in 

 this position just above the ankles, compressed 

 them so tightly that fully two-thirds of their 

 whole thickness were thereby divided, without, 

 however, causing any breach in the skin; nor 



