It was ascertained that
during the tattooing the operator had moistened the ink with his
own saliva.
Hutchinson exhibited drawings and photographs showing the
condition of the arms of two boys suffering from tuberculosis of
the skin, who had been inoculated in the process of tattooing.
The tattooing was done by the brother of one of the lads who was
in the last stages of phthisis, and who used his own saliva to
mix the pigment. The cases were under the care of Murray of
Tottenham, by whom they had been previously reported. Williams
has reported the case of a militiamen of seventeen who, three
days after an extensive tattooing of the left forearm, complained
of pain, swelling, and tenderness of the left wrist. A day later
acute left-sided pneumonia developed, but rapidly subsided. The
left shoulder, knee, and ankle were successively involved in the
inflammation, and a cardiac bruit developed. Finally chorea
developed as a complication, limited for a time to the left side,
but shortly spreading to the right, where rheumatic inflammation
was attacking the joints. The last, however, quickly subsided,
leaving a general, though mild chorea and a permanently damaged
heart.
Infibulation of the male and female external genital organs for
the prevention of sexual congress is a very ancient custom.
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