In June of the present year I treated the following case of ainhum which I think sufficiently unusual to be worthy of record:
Patient.
—J. L., colored, aged 38, day laborer, father and mother both Africans, came complaining of a painful toe.
Examination.
—Examination revealed a thickened ring of epithelium which encircled the base of the fifth toe of the left foor. Removal of the superficial epithelial debris showed that this ring had decidedly encroached on the tissues of the toe, the distal part of which was somewhat enlarged and globular, while the base looked as if a ligature were very tightly applied. After a day's rest the pain entirely disappeared, showing, as is usual in these cases, that it was due entirely to traumatism, to which the unwieldy toe easily lends itself.
Operation.
—The constriction occurred at the proximal interphalangeal articulation, and amputation at this point resulted in the