VOL. LXV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 655 



This extraordinary animal production was of the size and appearance of a 

 common twin child at its full time, excepting the particularities now to be 

 pointed out. When first born it was very plump, but soft and flabby, and the 

 bones remarkably small and tender. It had neither head, neck, hands, nor 

 arms .In the place where the neck should originate, was a little mammilla, some- 

 what larger than a woman's nipple, but quite soft. And on each side, in the 

 place where the arm should begin, there was a small papilla, about the size, and 

 very much like the extremity of a common quill. The spine seemed perfect, 

 but ended abruptly at the upper vertebrae colli. Below the navel the parts were 

 nearly entire, except the feet, where the toes were of an irregular form and size, 

 and some of them united together. The external parts of generation, which 

 indicated it to be a female, were also perfect. On a careful inspection internally, 

 there was evidently no brain nor spinal marrow. A few nerves however were 

 scattered about the abdomen ; but their origin, through fear of destroying the 

 preparation, was not traced. The uterus was perfect ; but only one ovarium 

 could be found. There was also the appearance of a bladder ; but it was so 

 contracted as to have no cavity. A large intestine arose from the anus ; was a 

 good deal convoluted above the brim of the pelvis, and ended in a blind pouch 

 or cul de sac, on the left side of the abdomen. This viscus appeared to be about 

 6 or 7 inches in length, varied its size in different parts, gradually became 

 smaller towards its superior extremity, and seemed fully distended with a colour- 

 less mucus.* All above the navel was extremely defective. There was no heart, 

 lungs, diaphragm, stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, nor small intes- 

 tines. However, there were 3 small glands in the place of the thymus, whose 

 substance, when examined with a microscope, Mr. Hewson remarked, exactly 

 resembled that of the thymus itself. And on each side of the vena cava, just 

 under the navel, were 2 little glandular substances, which seemed to be some- 

 what like capsulae renales, only very small to what are commonly found.-|- 

 There was a large artery running on the spine, which might be called the aorta. 

 As this approached the upper extremity of the little animal, it was divided into 

 smaller and smaller branches ; and in its course it distributed lateral ones also to 

 the contiguous parts of the trunk. Below the navel it sent off 2 branches that 



* Does not this circumstance almost amount to a proof, that the meconium, universally found in 

 the bowels of new-born children, is nothing more than the mucus naturally secreted by the intestinal 

 glands, mixed with bile, and perhaps a small portion of tlie pancreatic juice ? In the present instance, 

 as there was no liver there could be no bile, and consequently tlie meconium, if Dr. C. might so call 

 it, was colourless. — Orig. 



f Mr. Hewson, some time before his death, seemed to be confirmed in the opinion, tliat whenever 

 children are born with little or no brain, tlie capsulae renales are always very much diminished. This 

 is certainly the case in 1 or 2 almost brainless children which Dr. C. had by him, and whose renal cap- 

 (ulae he examined, with a view of being further satisfied on thii subject. — Orig. 



