CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGICAL PATHOLOGY. 131 
the result of retarded development, and not connected with any 
form of dislocation that had occurred to her during life. The body 
of the individual referred to was exhibited to the pupils of my 
anatomical class, two sessions ago : she was about forty years of 
age, stout, and well formed in every respect, and without the 
slightest appreciable derangement in the natural appearances of the 
ilio-femoral articulations, when viewed in the entire state. On 
dissection, the capsular ligament, on the left side, presented a ver- 
tical fissure along its anterior surface, extending through its entire 
thickness. In length it was about an inch ; the edges of it were 
rounded off and smooth, and exhibited no morbid thickening, as if 
its formation had been attended with any inflammatory action: 
and between them the glistening head of the thigh bone could be 
distinctly seen, though it could not be forced through them by any 
direction in its manipulation. The synovial membrane of the joint, 
everywhere along the edges of the fissure, became continuous with 
the structure of the large bursa beneath the psoas muscle ; but 
neither of these tissues exhibited any of the effects of previous 
disease, which could not but have existed, in the muscular bursa 
especially, in the form of bands of adhesion, had this deficiency in 
the capsular ligament been the result of dislocation. The internal 
ligaments of the joint were in a state of perfect integrity : the coty- 
loid ligament presented its normal appearances in structure and 
attachments, and, what was especially noticed, the ligamentum 
teres was entire, and attached to its usual points, the depression 
on the head of the thigh bone, and the base of the cotyloid cavity. 
This latter circumstance I should look upon as being conclusive of 
the nature of the appearances; for it is well known, that in every 
form of dislocation that takes place at the hip-joint, from violence, 
the ligamentum teres is torn through, and the capsular ligament is 
torn transversely, to a considerable extent. Considering, therefore, 
the great differences in the appearances in the latter case, with 
those seen in connexion with the former, I think that there is suf- 
ficient evidence to conclude, that it was the result of a congenital 
defect in structure, and not produced by any mechanical injury, or 
other morbid condition of the joint, inducing forcible or spontane- 
ous laceration of the capsule. It is not necessary, however, that 
there should be any change in the external appearances, or de- 
rangement in the function of the joint produced by the circum- 
stances above alluded to, for the essential structures of the arti- 
culation being entire, no derangement in either of these could take 
place. I should, however, look upon it as being the most simple 
deviation from its normal stuucture, and as being a congenital 
defect. 
