Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/825

* MONSTRANCE. 741 MONSTROSITY. ti) show, from inunslnuii, lunU-iit, monstpr, from iiionrrc. to warn, admonish), or Ostensory. The >acreil utensil eniployeil in the Roman Catholic Chureli lor the purpose of presenting the con- secrated host for the adoration of the people, as well while it is carried in procession as when it is exposed uiion the altar on occasions of special .solemnity and prayer. The use of the monstrance prubalily dates from the estahlishment of the fes- lival of Corpus Christi in the thirteenth century. It consists of two parts, the foot or stand upon which it rests, and the re|)ository or ease in which the host is exhibited. The latter contains a sTiiall semi-circular holder called the lunula, or crescent, in which the host is fixed. MONSTRELET, mon'strc-la', Engcerrand de ( 13'.llM453). A French chronicler, probably born in Picardy. Of liis life jiractically nothing is known. According to his own testimony, he was present at the interview between .Jeanne d'Arc and the Duke of Bourgogne. In 14.30 he had a civil and military office in Compi&gne; later he was provost at Cambrai and bailiff at Walineourt. His Cbronique, which covers the years 1400-1444, and continues the narratives of Froissart. is a clear and exact narrative of the time, written with little charm of style. The latest edi- tion is that of Douet d'Arc'q (18.57-62). There is an English translation by Thomas Johnes (1810). MONSTROSITY (Lat. monstrositas, from inoiistrosiia, iii<nifiiruosus, monstrous, from mon- struin, monster, portent) (in Anatomy). All departures from the normal development of the human foetus or of the young of the higher ani- mals are now considered under the subject of teratology. These deviations from the normal may vary from the comparatively slight and com- mon anomalies (such as hare-lip and supernu- merary digits) to forms which are so strange and hideous that they merit beyond question the name of monsters. Although the system of Saint Hilaire is by no means perfect, and is not based on embryonic laws, yet it has the advantage of a familiar nomenclature, and groups together forms which present similar externa! charaeter- istics. Under his classification we have four gen- eral groups: Hemiterutics, Heterotaxics, Uerina- phroflHics. and Monsters. Hemiter.vtics. In this group are included all forms of anomalies which show uniisual develop- ment. Init which are not exaggerated enough to be regarded as monsters nor specific enough to be considered members of the second or third class. This group is sul)divided into (1) Anomnlies of volume, with general diminution xir increase, as in dwarfs and giants. This abnornuil devel- opment may afl'ect only a part of the body, as the extremities, or the breasts, or the muscular sys- tem. (2) .Inomalies of form, resulting in deform- ities of the head, of the stomach, or of the pelvis. (3) Aiuiinnlies of color, presenting the inter- esting condition of albinism or abnormal melan- ism. (4) Anomalies of structure, as represented by the persistent cartilaginous condition of bones or the ossification of parts that normally should consist of cartilage. (.5) Anoiiirilies of disposition inchidc hernia, chtb-foot. extrophy of the bladder, and curva- ture of the s))ine. (0) Anomalies of connection are especially varied. Bones have unusual articulations; mus- cles have abnormal attachmeiits; and arteries and veins give otl' branches iu violation of ana- tomical regularity. (7) Anomalies of continuity .show an imper- forate condition of vagina, rectiun, or oesophagus, or a union of the kidneys, of the digits, or of the teeth. (81 Anomalies of closure and disjunction are illustrated by a vaginal septum and by cleft palate and harelip. (9) Anomalies of number embrace many vari- eties represented by an increase or decrease in the number of digits, teeth, breasts, or other parts. Heterot.xics include those forms which show transposition of the internal viscera, either of the tliorax or of the abdomen. Rarely we find only a single organ transposed; often all are in an abnormal position, but this change is accom- panied by no interference of nutrition nor of function. So at times the heart will be found on the right side or the liver on the left, and yet the individual is unconscious of any irregu- larity. Hekmaphroditics. Ahlfeld defines a true her- maphrodite as an individual possessing func- tionally active glands of both sexes, with ex- creting ducts and external genitals, .so that the offices of both sexes can be fulfilled. Indisputable evidence of svich a case lias not been adduced, al- though there are numerous instances where glands presenting the histological characteristics of both sexes have been present in one person. False hermaphrodites present typical glands of one sex and others of a more or less mixed or modified type. They are usually masculine in sex. There are all degrees of .abnormality in development, from a slight enlargement of the resicula prostatica (the masculine utenis of Weber), without any alteration in the external genitals, to a fully developed uterus with tubes and vagina complete in a male subject. The penis in these cases is rudimentary, and a condi- tion of hypospadias (a malformation of the penis, in which the orifice of the urethra is under- neath or behind the glands) exists. The scrotum is ill developed, and the testicles remain in thel abdomen. The absence of ovaries is not detected, so that the mistake in se.x may naturally per- sist until a post-mortem examination reveals their absence and the true sexual nature of the individual is apparent. See Hermaphrodite. JloxsTROsiriES. In this class we will first consider autositic single monsters which are ca- llable of independent existence in the womb, and are the result of an arrest in develoiunent. of fusion, or' of displacement of imjiortiint parts. (1) Ectromelus. — This group includes aborted or imperfectly formed extremities which present various degrees of shortening or else are entirely absent. Some cases show rudimentary limbs, but perfectly formed hands and feet which ap- pear to come inmiediately from the trunk. (2) f<!/mmelus. — The pelvis and lower extremities in tile individuals of this group are imperfectly developed, and the two lower limbs are more or less fused. Sometimes this fusion is complete and the feet are wholly lacking. (3) Celostoma. — The individuals in this class show a varying degree of cleft in the walls of the abdomen or of the thorax, and conseriuent eventration. Ano- malies of the intestinal tracts and of the urinary and' genital apparatus are frequent accompani-