TRANSMISSION OF MALFORMA TIONS. 1 7 9 



of admitting a probe sometimes to the extent of an inch, 

 or even more. Such recesses are known as congenital 

 auricular sinuse's ; they are furnished with glands which 

 secrete an unctuous material resembling ear-wax, often 

 troublesome to the individual on account of its amount. 

 These sinuses are usually associated with malformed 

 ears ; for a typical example see fig. 94. They are here- 

 ditary, and often appear in several members of a family. 

 Congenital fistulae occur in the lobule, but they are .very 

 rare, only two or three examples have been placed on 

 record. One excellent specimen has come under my 

 observation. In this case the fistula was so complete 

 that a few days after birth an earring was suspended in 

 it. Only one pinna was affected. The situation of the 

 fistula in this case is indicated in the lobule of the pinna, 

 represented in fig. 93. 



If any one possesses the patience to examine a large 

 number of ears he will find that it is by no means un- 

 common to see a shallow furrow separating the lobule 

 from the antitragus, and terminating occasionally in a 

 slightly marked notch on the posterior rim of the auricle. 

 The direction of this furrow varies greatly ; sometimes it 

 is nearly vertical, at other times oblique, and in rarer 

 instances is so pronounced that it seems to divide the 

 lobule in two parts. Among other variations exhibited 

 by the pinna is the presence of a supernumerary tragus,. . 

 which may or may not be associated with a well-shapen 

 auricle. Two common forms are shown in the ac- 

 companying drawings (fig 95). These so-called super- 

 numerary auricles are probably due to dichotomy of 

 the tubercle which gives rise to the tragus, 



