THE EVOLUTION OF A BURSA 183 



with the prominence of the knuckles of the hand and the very 

 efficient bursse which cover them, but most persons do not recog- 

 nise that the foot has no such knuckles (or prominent metatarso- 

 phalangeal joints) and no bursae over these joints, except that 

 of the great toe which happens to be very much more exposed to 

 friction and has a much greater range of action than the other four 

 metatarso-phalangeal joints. This might be called by some persons 

 a beautiful bit of adaptation for locomotion and by others an 

 equally admirable bit of adaptation produced by locomotion. 



Examination of Two Still-born Children. 



Some further light may be thrown upon the human bursse by 

 an examination of two still-born children I dissected in 1908 in 

 Lewisham infirmary, and give here the results as to the more 

 important subcutaneous bursae. 



Male Child : full term . 



Shoulder : bursse under acromion processes absent. 

 Elbow : (bursse over outer condyle of humerus present. 

 ( ,, „ inner ,, ,, absent. 



( ,, ,, olecranon both present. 

 Wrist : bursse over styloid process of ulna present. 



,, ,, ,, ,, of radius present. 



Hand : bursse over metacarpo -phalangeal joints D 1 absent, 

 D 2, 3, 4, 5 present, 

 bursas over phalangeal joints, first set present, 

 second set absent. 

 Hip : bursae over anterior superior spine of the ilium both 



absent. 

 Knee : prepatellar bursae well -developed. 

 Ankle : bursae over both malleoli present : 



buisse beneath tendo achillis well-developed. 

 Great toe : plantar bursa present. 

 Little toe : plantar bursa absent. 



Toes : D 1 (gieat toe) bursa over metatarso - phalangeal 

 joint present. 

 D 2, 3, 4, 5 bursae over metatarso-phalangeal joints 

 absent. 

 Bursae over Phalangeal joints. 

 D 1 present. 

 D 2, 3, 4, none over either of the phalangeal 



joints. 

 D 5 bursa present over the first and absent 

 over the second phalangeal joint. 



