2Q9 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I765. 



side of the heart, and transmit it to the left, reducing it in this journey, by their 

 joint action, to a state of perfection. One of the lobes therefore being wanting, 

 the other must have endured considerable pain in receiving the whole quantity of 

 blood from the heart, and whenever violent exercise made a quicker circulation 

 necessary, the blood must have been stopped, and hence arose the shortness of 

 breath. Nor is it less clear how the cough came to be so frequently troublesome 

 the motion of the fluids being disturbed, and the delicate fibres of the trachea 

 perpetually irritated by this defect. And this is the true reason why her menstrua, 

 being very plentiful, were for some time very beneficial to her, by causing a great 

 diminution of blood, and leaving a quantity of fluids in the veins more propor- 

 tioned to the canals of a single lobe. 



These things, from the dissection of the body, are evident enough, but it still 

 must seem wonderful to have found a young woman without one of the lobes, 

 that bag of serous matter containing nothing in it which could deserve the name 

 of even the most imperfect one. Dr. P. knew very well that the lungs are sub- 

 ject to many defects; and that there are often found in them tumours, callous- 

 nesses, adhesions, stones, ulcers, worms, tubercles, wastings, and the like; but 

 none of these causes could hardly have made the same viscus lose every sign of 

 its former state. The young woman being deficient in this lobe, it is suprising 

 how the other can have performed its office in maintaining life, and have ap- 

 peared of the common and natural size, and its vessels not at all dilated by the 

 quantity of blood which they received. And as nature has made nothing in vain, 

 we cannot but be astonished to find that 'single which ought to be double, as if 

 a man was to have one kidney instead of two; much more wonderful is it that, 

 in so delicate and important an action as respiration is, one lobe only of the usual 

 size and structure should have performed the functions of both. He knew very 

 well that those whose misfortune it has been to have part of their lungs only 

 slightly disordered, must have the other considerably affected; but besides that 

 there may have been occasionally relief given, they cannot for a long time have 

 supported the want of a lobe, without giving visible signs of so great a defect. 

 In this case we have reason to believe that this young woman was born with this 

 monstrous deficiency ; what is strange is, that she should have come to her full 

 growth with it, and have been apparently healthy, except the convulsive coughs 

 and shortness of breath. These are phenomena, which might be accounted for 

 from obstructions in the lower cavity; at least, the brown yellowish tinge of the 

 face, is a common symptom in these obstructions; but in this case it appears to 

 have been owing to the want of one of the pulmonary lobes, the other not being 

 alone sufficient to work the blood, and give it the necessary redness. 



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