NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE, SECTION OF NEUROLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY

Abstract

A Case of Oxycephaly. Dr. Samuel Atkin. A Russian Jew, aged 36, came to the Vanderbilt Clinic complaining of : defec¬ tive vision since childhood, which had been rapidly failing since the summer of 1928 ; prominence of both eyes all his life ; increasing left-sided deafness for three years ; slight right-sided deafness for one year ; insomnia for two years ; frequent urination for one year and headaches over the right parietal region for ten years. The peculiar shape of his head was first noticed after a fall, at the age of 6 months, which was not followed by unconsciousness. The heads of the other members of the family were normal in shape. Physical Examination.—The patient was well developed and of medium height. His head was domelike with a high, receding and flattened forehead, with a normally prominent glabella and brow ridges. The face was flat and asymmetrical, the right side being more developed than the left. The nose was prominent. The occiput was vertical and flattened with a small external occipital protuberance. Head measurements were : cephalic length, 18.4 cm. ; cephalic breadth, 15 cm. ; cephalic index, 82 (mesocephalic head); head height, 13 cm.; length-height index, 70. The mentality was normal. Except for a slight enlargement of the isthmus of the thyroid the general physical examination gave negative results. Neurologic examination gave negative results, except for a fine, rapid tremor of the fingers and partial left nerve deafness. Ophthalmologic Examination.—There was bilateral optic atrophy. With correc¬ tion, the vision in the right eye was 12/200 ; in the left 15/200. The visual fields