Amorphous (z68)
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
This 1930s encyclopedia article defines amorphus as the highest degree of fetal malformation, appearing as a shapeless mass where body parts are barely differentiable or only with great difficulty. It notes that radiography of an amorphus can sometimes reveal a properly developed trunk skeleton.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
AMORPHUS (from the Greek a- negative particle, and morphe - form), a designation for the highest degrees of fetal underdevelopment, when the latter presents as a shapeless mass in which it is impossible to differentiate individual body parts or this is achieved only with great difficulty (cases of acardius, see). An X-ray of an amorphus can sometimes reveal a properly developed trunk skeleton within it.
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Cite this page
“Amorphous (z68).” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.com/article/amorphus/