anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第1部分

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Anomalies　and　Curiosities　of　Medicine

by　George　M。　Gould　and　Walter　L。　Pyle



ANOMALIES　and　CURIOSITIES　of　MEDICINE

Being　an　encyclopedic　collection　of　rare　and　extraordinary　cases；　and　of　the　most　striking　instances　of　abnormality　in　all　branches　of　medicine　and　surgery；　derived　from　an　exhaustive　research　of　medical　literature　from　its　origin　to　the　present　day；　abstracted；　classified；　annotated；　and　indexed。

by　GEORGE　M。　GOULD；　A。M。；　M。D。　and　WALTER　L。　PYLE；　A。M。；　M。D。


PREFATORY　AND　INTRODUCTORY。



Since　the　time　when　man's　mind　first　busied　itself　with　subjects　beyond　his　own　self…preservation　and　the　satisfaction　of　his　bodily　appetites；　the　anomalous　and　curious　have　been　of　exceptional　and　persistent　fascination　to　him；　and　especially　is　this　true　of　the　construction　and　functions　of　the　human　body。　Possibly；　indeed；　it　was　the　anomalous　that　was　largely　instrumental　in　arousing　in　the　savage　the　attention；　thought；　and　investigation　that　were　finally　to　develop　into　the　body　of　organized　truth　which　we　now　call　Science。　As　by　the　aid　of　collected　experience　and　careful　inference　we　to…day　endeavor　to　pass　our　vision　into　the　dim　twilight　whence　has　emerged　our　civilization；　we　find　abundant　hint　and　even　evidence　of　this　truth。　To　the　highest　type　of　philosophic　minds　it　is　the　usual　and　the　ordinary　that　demand　investigation　and　explanation。　But　even　to　such；　no　less　than　to　the　most　naive…minded；　the　strange　and　exceptional　is　of　absorbing　interest；　and　it　is　often　through　the　extraordinary　that　the　philosopher　gets　the　most　searching　glimpses　into　the　heart　of　the　mystery　of　the　ordinary。　Truly　it　has　been　said；　facts　are　stranger　than　fiction。　In　monstrosities　and　dermoid　cysts；　for　example；　we　seem　to　catch　forbidden　sight　of　the　secret　work…room　of　Nature；　and　drag　out　into　the　light　the　evidences　of　her　clumsiness；　and　proofs　of　her　lapses　of　skill；evidences　and　proofs；　moreover；　that　tell　us　much　of　the　methods　and　means　used　by　the　vital　artisan　of　Life；the　loom；　and　even　the　silent　weaver　at　work　upon　the　mysterious　garment　of　corporeality。

〃La　premiere　chose　qui　s'offre　a　l'　Homme　quand　il　se　regarde；　c'est　son　corps；〃　says　Pascal；　and　looking　at　the　matter　more　closely　we　find　that　it　was　the　strange　and　mysterious　things　of　his　body　that　occupied　man's　earliest　as　well　as　much　of　his　later　attention。　In　the　beginning；　the　organs　and　functions　of　generation；　the　mysteries　of　sex；　not　the　routine　of　digestion　or　of　locomotion；　stimulated　his　curiosity；　and　in　them　he　recognized；　as　it　were；　an　unseen　hand　reaching　down　into　the　world　of　matter　and　the　workings　of　bodily　organization；　and　reining　them　to　impersonal　service　and　far…off　ends。　All　ethnologists　and　students　of　primitive　religion　well　know　the　role　that　has　been　played　in　primitive　society　by　the　genetic　instincts。　Among　the　older　naturalists；　such　as　Pliny　and　Aristotle；　and　even　in　the　older　historians；　whose　scope　included　natural　as　well　as　civil　and　political　history；　the　atypic　and　bizarre；　and　especially　the　aberrations　of　form　or　function　of　the　generative　organs；　caught　the　eye　most　quickly。　Judging　from　the　records　of　early　writers；　when　Medicine　began　to　struggle　toward　self…consciousness；　it　was　again　the　same　order　of　facts　that　was　singled　out　by　the　attention。　The　very　names　applied　by　the　early　anatomists　to　many　structures　so　widely　separated　from　the　organs　of　generation　as　were　those　of　the　brain；　give　testimony　of　the　state　of　mind　that　led　to　and　dominated　the　practice　of　dissection。

In　the　literature　of　the　past　centuries　the　predominance　of　the　interest　in　the　curious　is　exemplified　in　the　almost　ludicrously　monotonous　iteration　of　titles；　in　which　the　conspicuous　words　are　curiosa；　rara；　monstruosa；　memorabilia；　prodigiosa；　selecta；　exotica；　miraculi；　lusibus　naturae；　occultis　naturae；　etc。；　etc。　Even　when　medical　science　became　more　strict；　it　was　largely　the　curious　and　rare　that　were　thought　worthy　of　chronicling；　and　not　the　establishment　or　illustration　of　the　common；　or　of　general　principles。　With　all　his　sovereign　sound　sense；　Ambrose　Pare　has　loaded　his　book　with　references　to　impossibly　strange；　and　even　mythologic　cases。

In　our　day　the　taste　seems　to　be　insatiable；　and　hardly　any　medical　journal　is　without　its　rare　or　〃unique〃　case；　or　one　noteworthy　chiefly　by　reason　of　its　anomalous　features。　A　curious　case　is　invariably　reported；　and　the　insertion　of　such　a　report　is　generally　productive　of　correspondence　and　discussion　with　the　object　of　finding　a　parallel　for　it。

In　view　of　all　this　it　seems　itself　a　curious　fact　that　there　has　never　been　any　systematic　gathering　of　medical　curiosities。　It　would　have　been　most　natural　that　numerous　encyclopedias　should　spring　into　existence　in　response　to　such　a　persistently　dominant　interest。　The　forelying　volume　appears　to　be　the　first　thorough　attempt　to　classify　and　epitomize　the　literature　of　this　nature。　It　has　been　our　purpose　to　briefly　summarize　and　to　arrange　in　order　the　records　of　the　most　curious；　bizarre；　and　abnormal　cases　that　are　found　in　medical　literature　of　all　ages　and　all　languagesa　thaumatographia　medica。　It　will　be　readily　seen　that　such　a　collection　must　have　a　function　far　beyond　the　satisfaction　of　mere　curiosity；　even　if　that　be　stigmatized　with　the　word　〃idle。〃　If；　as　we　believe；　reference　may　here　be　found　to　all　such　cases　in　the　literature　of　Medicine　（including　Anatomy；　Physiology；　Surgery；　Obstetrics；　etc。）　as　show　the　most　extreme　and　exceptional　departures　from　the　ordinary；　it　follows　that　the　future　clinician　and　investigator　must　have　use　for　a　handbook　that　decides　whether　his　own　strange　case　has　already　been　paralleled　or　excelled。　He　will　thus　be　aided　in　determining　the　truth　of　his　statements　and　the　accuracy　of　his　diagnoses。　Moreover；　to　know　extremes　gives　directly　some　knowledge　of　means；　and　by　implication　and　inference　it　frequently　does　more。　Remarkable　injuries　illustrate　to　what　extent　tissues　and　organs　may　be　damaged　without　resultant　death；　and　thus　the　surgeon　is　encouraged　to　proceed　to　his　operation　with　greater　confidence　and　more　definite　knowledge　as　to　the　issue。　If　a　mad　cow　may　blindly　play　the　part　of　a　successful　obstetrician　with　her　horns；　certainly　a　skilled　surgeon　may　hazard　entering　the　womb　with　his　knife。　If　large　portions　of　an　organ；the　lung；　a　kidney；　parts　of　the　liver；　or　the　brain　itself；may　be　lost　by　accident；　and　the　patient　still　live；　the　physician　is　taught　the　lesson　of　nil　desperandum；　and　that　if　possible　to　arrest　disease　of　these　organs　before　their　total　destruction；　the　prognosis　and　treatment　thereby　acquire　new　and　more　hopeful　phases。

Directly　or　indirectly　many　similar　examples　have　also　clear　medicolegal　bearings　or　suggestions；　in　fact；　it　must　be　acknowledged　that　much　of　the　importance　of　medical　jurisprudence　lies　in　a　thorough　comprehension　of　the　anomalous　and　rare　cases　in　Medicine。　Expert　medical　testimony　has　its　chief　value　in　showing　the　possibilities　of　the　occurrence　of　alleged　extreme　cases；　and　extraordinary　deviations　from　the　natural。　Every　expert　witness　should　be　able　to　maintain　his　argument　by　a　full　citation　of　parallels　to　any　remarkable　theory　or　hypothesis　advanced　by　his　clients；　and　it　is　only　by　an　exhaustive　knowledge　of　extremes　and　anomalies　that　an　authority　on　medical　jurisprudence　can　hope　to　substantiate　his　testimony　beyond　question。　In　every　poisoning　case　he　is　closely　questioned　as　to　the　largest　dose　of　the　drug　in　question　that　has　been　taken　with　impunity；　and　the　smallest　dose　that　has　killed；　and　he　is　expected　to　have　the　cases　of　reported　idiosyncrasies　and　tolerance　at　his　immediate　command。　A　widow　with　a　child　of　ten　months'　gestation　may　be　saved　the　loss　of　reputation　by　mention　of　the　authentic　cases　in　which　pregnancy　has　exceeded　nine　months'　duration；　the　proof　of　the　viability　of　a　seven　months'　child　may　alter　the　disposition　of　an　estate；　the　proof　of　death　by　a　blow　on　the　epigastrium　without　external　marks　of　violence　may　convict　a　murderer；　and　so　it　is　with　many　other　cases　of　a　medicolegal　nature。

It　is　noteworthy　that　in　old…time　medical　literaturesadly　and　unjustly　neglected　in　our　rage　for　the　newshould　so　often　be　found　parallels　of　our　most　wonderful　and　peculiar　modern　cases。　We　wish；　also；　to　enter　a　mild　protest　against　the　modern　egotism　that　would　set　aside　with　a　sneer　as　myth　and　fancy　the　testimonies　and　reports　of　philosophers　and　physicians；　only　because　they　lived　hundreds　of　years　ago。　We　are　keenly　appreciative　of　the　power　exercised　by　the　myth…making　faculty　in　the　past；　but　as　applied　to　early　physicians；　we　suggest　that　the　suspicion　may　easily　be　too　active。　When　Pare；　for　example；　pictures　a　monster；　we　may　distrust　his　art；　his　artist；　or　his　engraver；　and　make　all　due　allowance　for　his　primitive　knowledge　of　teratology；　coupled　with　the　exaggerations　and　inventions　of　the　wonder…lover；　but　when　he　describes　in　his　own　writing　what　he　or　his　confreres　have　seen　on　the　battle…field　or　in　the　dissecting　room；　we　think；　within　moderate　limits；　we　owe　him　credence。　For　the　rest；　we　doubt　not　that　the　modern　reporter　is；　to　be　mild；　quite　as　much　of　a　myth…maker　as　his　elder　brother；　especially　if　we　find　modern　instances　that　are　essentially　like　the　older　cases　reported　in　reputable　journals　or　books；　and　by　men　presumably　honest。　In　our　collection　we　have　endeavored；　so　far　as　possible；　to　cite　similar　cases　from　the　older　and　from　the　more　recent　literature。

This　connection　suggests　the　question　of　credibility　in　general。　It　need　hardly　be　said　that　the　lay…journalist　and　newspaper　reporter　have　usually　been　ignored　by　us；　simply　because　experience　and　investigation　have　many　times　proved　that　a　scientific　fact；　by　presentation　in　most　lay…journals；　becomes　in　some　mysterious　manner；　ipso　facto；　a　scientific　caricature　（or　worse　！）；　and　if　it　is　so　with　facts；　what　must　be　the　effect　upon　reports　based　upon　no　fact　whatsoever？　It　is　manifestly　impossible　for　us　to　guarantee　the　credibility　of　chronicles　given。　If　we　have　been　reasonably　certain　of　unreliability；　we　may　not　even　have　mentioned　the　marvelous　statement。　Obviously；　we　could　do　no　more　with　apparen