Tubercular Disease of the Spmc. 533 



•cervical and upper nine dorsal vertebrae. The fused bodies 

 form a single piece of cancellous bone, which is bent acutely 

 upon itself. Opposite the centre of the bend there is a trace 

 of some of the intervertebral discs. Above and below that, 

 however, the fusion is so perfect as to show no trace of the 

 original separate bodies. The two unchanLTi'd vertebrae occupy 

 a space nearly equal in length to that of the ten fused vertebrje 

 •above it. The intervertebral foraminae on the fused portion are 

 ■quite distinct, but the intervals between them have been greatly 

 •reduced. The laminae of the fused vertebra^ are likewise 

 welded into a common piece. G. C. 3482. 



Presented by Charles W. Cathcart, F.R.C.S.E., 1893. 



7. 254. Tubercular Disease cured by Anchylosis.— Skele- 

 ton from a subject about 14 years of age — macerated, and 

 divided by a mesial section, illustrating the above. 



The specimen shows the effects of tubercular disease which 

 involved the whole of the dorsal vertebrae, except the first and 

 the last. The bodies have fallen together, and the lower eight 

 affected ones are anchylosed into a wedge-shaped mass of 

 cancellous tissue, with its apex projecting backwards. The 

 upper two affected vertebrae are anchylosed to one another, but 

 not to the lower mass. The spinal canal is diminished slightly 

 at the bend, but less so than would at first appear, because the 

 section just at the bend is not quite mesial. To compensate 

 for the marked backward projection in the upper dorsal region, 

 the normal forward curves in the cervical and lumbar regions 

 are greatly increased, so that the head still remains over the 

 pelvis and the face looks upwards. The ribs are, as usual, greatly 

 compressed, and the cavity of the thorax diminished. The 

 pelvis is kyphotic, and the bones generally are very light. 



W. C. H. 71. 



7. 255. Tubercular Disease cured by Anchylosis.— Skeleton 



