MALFORMATION OF THE LOBULE
There may be an enlargement of or an absence of the lobule.
Enlargement of the Lobule
In the enlargement of the lobule the operation last described may be resorted to, making the now supposed coloboma the triangular amount of tissue to be removed. It will be found that the upper curve of the incisions must be carried much higher in cases of this kind, furthermore, that they should define a sharper angle at this point.
The simple exsection of a triangular piece of the lobule and suturing is commonly practiced, with the objection of the notch previously referred to. This operation is very quickly done, and if care be taken in bringing the raw surfaces together neatly a splendid result is attained, especially if the incisions are made obliquely to the plane of the skin.
Attachment of the Lobe
There may be a shortening of the lobule, or, as is more frequently seen, the attachment of the inner lateral border of the lobe to the skin opposite.
This attachment of the lobe has been alleged by criminologists to be a mark of the degenerate. If this be so it can scarcely apply to the Japanese, in whom it is found as a racial fact.
As the defect is often objected to by patients its correction may be considered briefly.
An incision is made in the inferior auricle and in the skin below it, as shown by the dotted lines in [Fig. 121], removing the triangular piece of tissue included therein.