DEFORMITIES. Varieties of form which mar the external appearance, may be con genital or acquired, according as they occur before or after birth. The former class were considered by the ancients to carry some important meaning in their mysterious shapes, and to show the anger of the gods; hence, they termed them monsters, from monstrare. to show; and even in later times, they were popularly believed to be the result of the most hideously unnatural combinations, Modern scientific writers have, however, made them a subject of special study, under the name teratology (terns, mon ster, and logos, science), and their researches have shown that D. generally depend on some arrest of development of the fetus, or some accidental position it has got into, or some inflammatory disease which has caused unnatural adhesion of parts. It has been found that in 3,000 births in Paris, there occurs about one monster. They generally follow some definite law. D. are more common among domestic than wild animals, among mammalia than birds, and very rare among fishes and the invertebrata.
It is a common belief, that the mind of the female parent has an influence over the shape of her infant; but although some singular coincidences have occurred, there is no scientific proof that such is really the case. This theory, however absurd, was. eagerly adopted in the middle ages; it was, in fact, often appealed to in the interest of mercy as a loophole of escape for pregnant women, who, by the barbarous ignorance of the time, might be condemned to torture; and so universal has the popular belief in this theory become, that even at the present day no scientific demonstration to the contrary has proved sufficient to undermine it. D. are, however, in many cases, hereditary, as may be seen in the instances of additional fingers and toes, and of harelips.
It seems uncertain whether the male or female parent chiefly influences the occur rence of deformity in the offspring. One rarely sees a case of harelip without being able to recognize a sort of tuck or shortening in the same feature of the mother; but the writer of this article knows a family of three with harelips, whose father alone is simi larly deformed; and another family of three, with perfectly formed mouths, whose mother has an uncured and extremely unsightly harelip.
The chief congenital D. may be classed under the following heads: Deformity as regards number of parts; as, for instance, the Sirens, who have appar ently but a single inferior extremity, which tapers to a point; the Cyclops, with but one eye; or the head itself may be absent, or some organ, as the brain. Such D., from a deficiency of parts, may also result from amputation of portions of the limbs of the fetus when still within the uterus by the pressure of the umbilical cord.
Curiously enough, however, it often happens that this intrauterine amputation of parts leads indirectly tb an opposite condition—namely, a multiplication of parts arising from the stumps left by these uterine amputations; the fetus in the early stages of its growth appearing to possess something of the power of reproduction of parts observed in most of the lower orders of animals. The parts most commonly reproduced arc fingers and toes, or, most commonly of all, only abortive portions of these, as little projections from the stump of the limb, with traces of nail, and some times a single joint with an imperfect bony development. We see a new growth of little fingers or toes according to the member lost, and this power shows itself some times without being preceded by such an injury, in additional Lingers, toes, etc. These parts are generally close to the similar natural ones, but not always, as, for instance, an ear in the neck.
Deformity with regard to size. This may involve the whole body, as in dwarfs, of whom there have been some remarkable peripatetic specimens: the Corsican fairy was only 2 ft. 71 in. high; Mlle. Crachand, the smallest lady who ever lived, died at 10 years of age, only 20 in. in height. This kind of deformity is not necessarily hereditary; the father of Borowlaski, who was only 39 in. when 30 years old, had six children alternately short and tall; and dwarf women have brought forth infants as long, when extended, as their mothers. One limb only niay be diminutive. Of course, D. the opposite of these exist, such as giants, or instances of premature or excessive local growth. O'Byrne, the Irish giant, measured 8 ft. 4 in. when he died, at the age of 22. Such individuals are generally subject to premature decay.
Deformity as regards shape; this results generally from retarded growth, the parts of the embryo not consolidating as growth advances, as in harelip; or from irregu lar muscular contractions, as in club-foot (q.v.); or by two or more parts coalescing, as two fingers; or in cyclopy, when both the eyes run into one.
D. of color are frequently coexistent with tendency to, or the presence of, some dis ease. There may be deficiency of coloring matter, as in albinos; or au apparent increase, as in blue disease, arising from the partition between the right and left sides of the heart not being completed; or from some coloring matter produced in the body, as in the mottled individuals shown in caravans.
D. of continuity occur from the lateral halves of the embryo not completely closing, as seen in clefts of the back, the palate, etc.
Acquired deformities will he noticed under their special names.