Ainhum

This disease consists of spontaneous amputation of the little toes, with hypertrophy of the amputated part. The name means "to saw". The disease is said to exist amongst the Africans.

A small semi-circular furrow first appears in the digitoplantar fold, which gradually increases, without pain or inflammation, the toe enlarging, and getting loose and in the way. If the toe is cut off, the wound left heals very speedily. The cause is unknown. The general health does not suffer. The disease is symmetrical. The amputated toe shows fatty chancre of the tissues, enlargement of the areolar spaces, of some of the bones of the phalanges, the bone tissue between the middle and proximal phalanges being replaced by fibrous tissues, the separation of the toe taking place at the proximal, inter-phalangeal joint, and not the metatarsal phalangeal joint; the cartilage and articular end of the middle phalanx being removed and replaced by fibrous tissue, which looks like an ordinary cicatrix.