302 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO lydj. 



I. A Monstrous Human Foetus, having neither Head, Heart, Lungs, Stomach, 



Spleen, Pancreas, Liver, nor Kidneys. By C. N. Le Cat, M. D.,F. R. S., &c. 



Fromthe French. Vol. LVII. p. 1. 



Ail the lower part of this monstrous foetus, from a finger's breadth above the 

 navel, was a female, tolerably well formed, except that on her left foot she had but 

 4 toes, joined together by a membrane, like the web of a duck's foot. But all 

 the parts of this foetus, above the navel, composed a perfect mola, a shapeless 

 mass. 



Mr. le C. began the dissection of this monster on the hind part; the muscles 

 of the back were well formed. He found on the right side 8 ribs, reckoning 

 from below upwards, and 7 on the left. Immediately above these was an hydatid, 

 in which lay the cervical nerves, destined for the upper extremities. In this 

 place also might be seen very imperfect rudiments of the scapula and clavicle. 

 On the right side, and near to those rudiments, was a sort of thumb, easily known 

 to be the thumb of the right hand, whose extremity projected beyond the integu- 

 ments \ of its natural length. Above, and on the right side of this hydatid, 

 Mr. le C. discovered another more considerable, surrounded by a large bag, very 

 smooth on the inside, and supported by something, which had the appearance of 

 a beginning of a maxilla. At the extremity of the fore part of this bag were 2 

 orifices, almost contiguous, across a septum, which led to another bag of a much 

 smaller size. These two hydatid bags were behind a part which Mr. le C. took 

 for an imperfect eye, because it was transparent, and surrounded by teguments 

 not unlike eyelids. 



On tracing the spine, and divesting it of all the soft parts, he discovered that 

 it terminated above in a bony mass, that resembled the larynx, above which was 

 a large soft substance of the consistence of, and covered with that kind of skin 

 common to a cow's udder; on which he saw hair like that of other children. 

 This occupied the usual place for the head. Under this kind of parenchymatous 

 substance, which was white and glandular, was a muscular mass, more consider- 

 able and conspicuous than one could well have expected in such a subject. It 

 doubtless consisted of the occipital and perhaps frontal muscles, drawn towards 

 each other. Having raised this fleshy part, he opened the upper bag of the 

 spine, resembling a larynx. Its surface was altogether bony, as usual in the 

 foetus, viz. somewhat cartilaginous. This he opened in the direction of a mem- 

 branous triangular line, somewhat like the lambdoidal suture of the occiput. He 

 found this kind of larynx filled with cerebrum, or rather cerebellum ; it might be 

 about a cubical inch in proportion; and this was all the brain of 

 the foetus. At the extremity of this cavity, backwards, lay the proper medulla 

 spinalis. This cavity was not separated by an elongation of the cerebellum, it 

 had but a very small falx forwards ; and on the right side was another appearance 



