Fissure

“ The face of each wall of the fissure is often beautifully polished, as if glazed, striated, or scored with parallel furrows and ridges, such as would be produced by the continued rubbing together of surfaces of unequal hardness. ”

“ As the fissure is increased in length by attrition at the broad posterior end, which end during growth becomes broader and broader, the lower part of the fissure has to be narrowed, and this is effected in a very singular manner, namely, by advantage being taken of the strong tendency, which triturated shell with animal matter, has to set into a solid shelly mass, although constantly agitated. ”

“ From the manner of growth of the animal, the fissure leading into the cavity in the shell becomes much longer than the orifice leading into the sack, and to prevent the body being unnecessarily exposed, the upward projection of the disc, already described, is formed under the narrow and disused end of the fissure ”

“ The frontal lobe is separated from the parietal by the fissure of Rolando (fig. 9, r) which extends on the outer face of the hemisphere from the longitudinal fissure obliquely downward and forward towards the Sylvian fissure. About 2 in. from the hinder end of the hemisphere is the parieto-occipital fissure, which, commencing at the longitudinal fissure, passes down the inner surface of the hemisphere, and transversely outwards for a short distance on the outer surface of the hemisphere; it separates the parietal and occipital lobes from each other. ”

“ When beds of rock are only interrupted by a fissure, but remain at the same level, like the two halves of the table, it is not called a fault, but only a fissure; but if one half of the table be either tilted higher than the other, or pushed to the side, so that the two parts will not fit, it is a fault. ”

“ In neuralgia the pain caused by pressure with the finger in the anus is not confined to one spot, as it is in fissure, but all portions of the bowel are alike tender. It is true that the morbid sensibility of the rectum and anus caused by a fissure and that caused by neuralgia are often so intimately blended that it is sometimes no easy matter to distinguish between them; nothing but the detection itself, in some cases, of the fissure, which can always be discovered by a thorough examination, will clear up the diagnosis. ”

“ It occurs in an enormous fissure in the rocks, apparently filling it, and has been worked vertically through a depth of 300 feet, and horizontally through a distance of 3,315 feet. The fissure is seldom more than four feet wide, in many places much less, and narrows, in one direction, so much as to be unworkable. ”

“ This well was a kind of narrow opening in the massive granite of the kind known as a fissure. The contraction of the terrestrial scaffolding, when it suddenly cooled, had been evidently the cause. If it had ever served in former times as a kind of funnel through which passed the eruptive masses vomited by Sneffels, I was at a loss to explain how it had left no mark. We were, in fact, descending a spiral, something like those winding staircases in use in modern houses.
We were compelled every quarter of an hour or thereabouts to sit down in order to rest our legs. Our calves ached. ”

“ But when many other parts of the head have been struck, as in a fall, and a fissure of the skull takes place without a solution of continuity of the skin, an abscess afterwards forms in it, and being opened, this fissure is discovered, which appears to them to have been occasioned by the blow on the opposite side ”

“ The imperfect definition of this fissure in the majority of human brains, as compared with its remarkable distinctness in the brain of most Quadrumana, is owing to the presence, in the former, of certain superficial, well marked, secondary convolutions which bridge it over and connect the parietal with the occipital lobe. The closer the first of these bridging gyri lies to the longitudinal fissure, the shorter is the external parieto-occipital fissure. ”

“ We shall only observe further on this subject, that a circumstance of importance in determining the direction of the lines of fissure is the weighting of the masses, which for many reasons must be supposed to have been often very unequal. The more general the mechanical agency, and the more uniform the resistance of the masses, so much the more perfectly straight and parallel the systems of simultaneous and successive fissures. ”

“ Occasionally a ledge broken quite through separates, and the rock on one side of the fissure is either elevated or depressed, making what is called a fault.
The fissures crossing a bed of rock are often filled with a mineral entirely different from the rock itself. In some cases where the vein is small the foreign substance may have come in from above or laterally, deposited from water as in the case of stalactites. ”

“ In doing so, when the moving mass was heavy enough, the pressure upon the particles of rock within the fissure was so great that a fine, smooth and shiny face or a light gray color was made, entering many feet, with streaks or grooves running down, glistening and lustrous, the prismatic colors of which could then be seen for weeks together if viewed from a suitable position. ”

“ This cavity, whatever its shape, is usually filled either with igneous rock that has come up from the molten mass below, or with surface drift or broken rock fragments that have been deposited there from above. Where there is displacement as well as fracture, that is when the strata on one side of a fissure have been pushed up or have fallen below the corresponding strata on the other side, we have what is known as a fault. Sometimes the displacement seems to have been accomplished with little disturbance to the sides of the fissure ”

“ It is noticed, as a circumstance of common occurrence, that mineral veins are no otherwise different from faults than by reason of the fissures which these have opened in the rocks being filled by sparry and metallic matters. This filling of a fissure constitutes a mineral vein; a similar fissure filled by basaltic or other rocks would be called a rock dyke; if occupied by clay and soft materials, a clay dyke. The point of importance in each of these cases is the mechanical formation of a fissure of the rocks along the plane of the fault ”

“ The average slope of the rock, beneath the soil of the great fissure here, cannot be less than 25° the horizon, and may be much more. That of the fissure is still steeper. The "work done" by the shock, in originating the actual transport of material, due to these fissures is not very large; it amounts merely to reducing the friction and coherence of the mass, so as to permit the descent, through probably not more than 3 inches vertically, of several millions of tons of earth, the movement of descent being produced by gravity only. ”

“ When a fissure is of long duration, the constitution becomes greatly impaired as a result of the constant pain, the constipation, and the frequent resort to narcotics, and the patient is liable to fall into a state of melancholy and extreme nervous irritability; the countenance, expressive of pain, grows care-worn and sallow; the appetite is poor; and there is more or less emaciation, associated with the general appearance of a person suffering from serious organic disease. ”

“ In some cases of fissure the irritable condition of the sphincter will cause such contraction of the anus when an examination is attempted that it will be impossible for the surgeon to pass his finger into the rectum without etherization of the patient. ”

“ Bedded veins may be distinguished from fissure veins by the absence of all traces of a fissure, the want of a banded structure, slickensides, selvages, etc.; from gash veins and the floors of ore which often accompany them, as well as from segregated veins, they are distinguished by the nature of the inclosing rock and the foreign origin of the ore. Sometimes the plane of junction between two contiguous sheets of rock has been the channel through which has flowed a metalliferous solution, and the zone where the ore has replaced by substitution portions of one or both strata. ”

“ Allingham [35] justly calls attention to one source of error in drawing conclusions from statistics—namely, the fact that many patients suffer from more than one malady. He states that it constantly happens that a fistula is found in connection with hemorrhoids, either as the substantive disease or as a complication. Again, a fissure or circular ulcer often has a sinus running from it, so that it may fairly be considered as the opening of an internal fistula, and the case called a fistula; or the sinus is not detected, and the case is called ulcer or fissure. ”

“ Fig. 200.—Fissure springs arranged upon lines of rock fracture at intersections, Pomperaug valley, Connecticut.
In contrast to the flow of surface springs, which varies with the season through wide ranges both in its volume and in temperature of the water, the volume of fissure springs is but slightly affected by the seasonal precipitation, and the water temperature is maintained relatively constant. Rock is but a poor heat conductor, and the seasonal temperature changes descend a few feet only into the ground. ”

“ Painful cracks and fissures are frequently met with in the middle line of the lip and at the angle of the mouth in young subjects. They usually develop during frosty weather, and as they are constantly being torn open by the movements of the mouth, they are difficult to heal. If local applications fail, it may be necessary to cocainise the fissure and scrape it with a sharp spoon. ”

“ The fissure is a flowing curve similar in horizontal plan to the contour of the hill side, and its line of direction is just that most favourable, to a throw off and slip of the clay masses, upon the sublying rock, by the jog of the earthquake, which is unquestionably the nature of its formation. ”

“ At about 120 feet from the door a small fissure was found opening out of Chamber A to the right, below the original level of the floor. As in the case of the fissure at the extremity of Chamber F in the Robin-Hood Cave, this was filled with red sand nearly but not quite in contact with the roof. The surface of the sand was also dry and powdery, and it was destitute of fossil contents. The digging has not been carried on beyond this point in Chamber A, the few remaining feet giving little promise of having any thing of sufficient value to repay the work of exploration. ”

“ Has for many years suffered from all the inconveniences of a fissure of the rectum, combined with bad digestion, undue nervous excitability, and sleepless nights. Is very anxious to be cured. It being thought that all these symptoms might be due to a painful fissure of the rectum, the ordinary operation for this affection was performed on December 12. The bowels were opened in a few days without pain, and the fissure was healing well. ”

“ The whole series of stratified masses will be affected by the tension in the same manner, but under some conditions the fissures may not reach to the surface. The fissures will be of nearly uniform width at all depths, except that unequal elasticity in the dislocated strata will cause some differences. It is not inconsistent with mechanical principles to admit that more than one parallel fissure may originate simultaneously, and they may be subsequently prolonged, so that many parallel fissures (especially below the surface) may exist together, the fruit of one general action. ”

“ Those which are 'two-cleft' have one single line of fissure on either side of the heart-wood, and the lines of fissure do not correspond to each other, so that the hewing also is performed by cuts which follow the two lines of fissure, so as to reach the two sides of the heart-wood at different angles. Now such wood, they say, is the softest, but the worst for carpentry, as it warps most easily. ”

“ Fissured fractures, when the fissure extends through the skull, usually result from injuries by shell. The passage of a ball may fracture and very slightly depress a portion of the outer table of the cranium, and then the line of fracture will very closely simulate fissured fracture extending through both tables, and the diagnosis between them be excessively doubtful. When fissured fracture exists, the distance to which it may be prolonged is often quite unindicated by symptoms, and its extent is very uncertain. Fissures often extend to long distances. ”

“ The daily introduction of a full-sized bougie, made of wax or tallow, will sometimes act beneficially in cases of fissure, by distending the sphincter and producing such an amount of irritation as will set up a healing process in the ulcer. An application of cocaine or of belladonna ointment should be made to the part prior to the employment of the bougie. ”

“ So long as the sensitive structures are protected the animal remains sound. Sometimes, however, from the effects of concussion or of the body-weight, a fissure appears in the narrow veneer of horn that covers them. Into this, which, of course, is but a form of sand-crack, gravel and dirt penetrate, and so set up inflammatory changes in the keratogenous membrane. As a result suppuration ensues, and the animal is lame. ”

“ At the same time, it is not uncommon, especially in children, for a suture to be sprung by violence applied to the head, or for a fissured fracture to enter a suture and, after running in it for some distance, to leave it again. The edges of a clean cut in the periosteum may be mistaken for a fissure in the bone, especially if reliance is placed on the probe for diagnosis. ”