The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-09-22
WIN. B. SMITH.
4 remarkable case Of Fan Esra-uterine f;etas foRni
in each ovayia of a negro rvomaa.


Cumberland County, sent me note Informing
me his negro Diana had just died. DIR. James
L. Hubbard saw this woman III her last illness
he believed it to be singular case, and expires.
sed desire that Mr.. Wright would send for me,
with a view of opening her body TO ascertain the
seat Other complaint. opened the body in the
presence of Wr. Wright, young man who lives
with him, and Mr. Allen Wilson, by first making
a longitudinal incison down the middle of the
breast TO the Xyphoid cartilage-I then dssect-
ed away the integuments, and raised the ster-
num- The left lobe Of The lungs was very close
ly attached to the whole surface OF the pleura
& in tearing it away, broke into an abscess which
discharged nearly gill of offensive puruisrt
matter. The fericardium seemed unusually
distended, and contained much larger quantity
of that fluid which serves for the purpose of lu-
bricatng the heart, than is consistent with health
IT. '.'aov vi the diaphragm was cnnsi-
ueraoiy infarned SO much so, that there was an
etfus ION Of blood in several places Continuing
the incision down from the scrobiculis cords to
the ossa'pubis, leaving the umblicus TO the right
II found all the abdominal yiscera i'm a HEALTHY
| state, except the spleen and liver, the former of
| which was very much enlarged, and so much de-
caycd that 1t would scarcely bear its own weight
weighing suppose, upwards of three rounds So
| The great lobe of the liver considerably cnlarr
ed, and the gall bladder distended with dark
giutinous matter having more the appearance
| OF common tar, than healthy bile From this
circumstance suppose there must have been
some obstruction in the ductus communis cbole
dochus The left kidney was much smaller than
the right, the cortical part having very pale and
| unhealthy appearance.
Examining the contents of the pevis. l found
the uterus pushed forward towards the ossa.pu
o's, uncommony small and hard Opening il,
WIN view OF ascertaining it's contents found
the cavity so small that it was with much diff.
Guilty 1t received the little finger. Being more
particular IN my examination of the pelvis dis
covered two large substances, which at first
view, L supposed to be indurated f9ces; bu,
hhding they were suspended by ligament, and
entirely connected with the uterus, except bva
slight adhesion to the rectum, and other bar,s'
ana not hesitate to pronounce them diseased oya
ria The lett ovaria, which was enlarged be-
yond the size OF u hen egg, had formed a bed a.
ihong the mtestines, and slightly attached itself
to them, particularly to the rectum. The situa-
ton OF the right ovaria differed very much from
the left, being higher in the pelvis, aelhernp to
the perltoneum, intestine, Ssc. its figure very long
and irregular. 20
Inc uncommon size and figure ofthese ovaria.
induced me to examine them more infinitely. /
removed them from the pelvis, and obtained
leave OF Mr.. Wright to Carry them home. The
next day made an incision with my scalpel in the
oVarla which was taken from the right side .,d
found my knife considerably resistedbv some ex-
traneous matter then carefully renewed the first
membrane, or external covering 6, found another.
aiter dlscharging small quantity of yellow fluid
from the second, 1discovered Feius between
three and four inches long, perfectly formed.
with an umbilical cord ioined to a Loose yo.
cuiar ana heshy substance, which SUPPOSE
answered the purpose ola piacenta am well
assured that tins feshy production must have
been the medium of communication between tho
parent and child. The piacenta (if may so call
~ is about three times the size Of the Fo,;,ls the
@tus attached to the upper end of it, and the
NJ ha.In fl,..E
an tube. II is very remarkable that although this
Gtus is not more than three inches long. the
bones OF the head trunk, and extremties appear
10 De perfectly osshed, and hard as the bones of
an adult, breaking short off before they would |
give way to the least pressure. The head ofths |!
otus appears to be twice the size of the trunk
ana extremltics On opening the abdomen the
liver, which is of a beautiful and delicate yellow
occupies two thirds ofthe cavity and the intes |
tines, wonderfully convoluted, one third onlv
After making every discovery in the right ova- |
RIA, then proceeded to the examination of the !
leit which was much larger than the right re-
seHDlng IN hgure squirrels head more. than a. !
ny thing to which can compare it l first dis. F!
sected away the external coat, which supposed |
10 be production of the pertoneum and then !
passed my knife through the most convex part of
1t, not suspecting as in the first instance another
embryo; but 10 my great surprise and astonish-
ment, cut through the spine and ribs of n For.
~.
tus presented itself eight inches long, with it's
teet, legs, hands, arms, head and trunk perfectly
FORMED and nothing wanting but the ab5omi
nal Viscera, to render it complete in all its parts
~ rs very surprising that the Funis Umbicalis in
TINS FGt,ls, instead OF passing off from the abdo-
men to the placenta, passed from the anus This
placenta was very different from the other. be.
ing much smaller, more firm, and having a more
healthy appearance. This perhaps is the cause
why the last Fotus is larger than the first.
was not able to discover in the first, whether il
was male or female but in the last, the male
organs ot generation were very plainly seen
hree or four vessicles, ova of different sizes
joined to the internal surface of.eacb diseased q.
VarIa, were discovered. have the above phe.
m glass jar, which may be seen at a.
ny ume. The woman in whom the above discOy-
erIes were mace, was about forty years old the
mother OF SIX children; the Youngest eight wears
OF age. was informed she has never enioved
lIer health since She was delivered Other last
cihid before made these discoveries, I was
ot opinion that the woman might have been say
eu II properly treated but If the cause. of the
disease had been discovered durinptb life oftLe
patient, 1T would have been difficult If not limos
sibIe, to afford rcief.
How shall we account for the phenomenon
ny surprising the male semen TO be taken into the
circulation OF the blood ; and some of the part.
clts coming IN contact with tie Ova Of the oya.
RIA Or shall we suppose the semen b1dScaiiHn7n |
- carried To the ovaria by the faIlOpian tubes
ana there impregsstes the oya These Two cases
Oi eNTa-uierine foetus certainly prove that CON
DcptfOn or mDre pnafipn fret p, .,e a., ,l,.