A case of arrested development of the cerebellum and the bones of the skull in a child / by Francis Ogston, jun.

  • Ogston, Francis, Jr., 1846-1917.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A case of arrested development of the cerebellum and the bones of the skull in a child / by Francis Ogston, jun. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The right temporal bone was small, showing no trace of glenoid cavity, auditory meatus, or mastoid process. The cavity of the tympanum was also wanting, this part consisting of a transparent lamina of bone, bounded above by a narrow isthmus of bone. The semicircular canals seemed normally developed (see under). On the left side these bones were normal. The cerebral lobes normal, equal in size • but the right one appeared flatter posteriorly than the left. This on further examination was found to be caused by a defect in the cerebellum, the right posterior cerebral lobe falling lower down than the left. The ventricles of the brain and the ganglia at its base seemed normal. The optic nerve was normal on the left side, but the right was much smaller than usual. The olfactory nerves normal. The medulla oblongata and the pons varolii ap¬ peared normal, or nearly so. The right half of the cerebellum smaller than the left, and somewhat irregular in shape (see under, Plate III.) The substance of the brain contained considerably more blood than usual. The gullet and air-passages normal. The lungs contained a considerable amount of dark blood and white froth. A few minute spots of effused blood (Tardieu’s spots) on the surfaces of the lungs and heart. The right cavities of the heart contained considerably more blood than the left cavities. The blood in both contained firm clots. The valves and walls of the heart healthy. The liver, spleen, and kidneys loaded with blood. The right lobe of the liver smaller than usual. From these appearances I gave it as my opinion that the child had died from suffocation (smothering), judging from the gorged state of the lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys, from the punctiform ecchymoses (Tar¬ dieu’s spots) on the lungs and heart, and from the amount of blood in the right cavities of the heart; but stated that the defects in its cerebellum and jaw had rendered it so weakly that its life would be much more easily extinguished than that of a normally-formed child. I append a more minute description of the defective structures in I this case. I. The Central Parts of the Brain.—Measurements of the cere¬ bellum :— Antero-posterior, Transverse, . Vertical, Left, 2§ inches. v H lj V Right, •n 2A inches. li 11 ?> The anterior part of the right lobe of the cerebellum seemed unde¬ veloped (as is shown in Plate III.), the whole measuring about two- fifths the bulk of the left lobe, and being flattened to a considerable degree. The right side of the pons varolii seemed a little less than the left. Nerves.—1. The olfactory nerves were normal. 2. The optic commissure seemed smaller on the right side, and the right