ID#: 21336
Caption:
Captured in 1968, in the West African country of Liberia, by Dr. Henny Gelfand, this image depicted a dorsal view of a patients feet, revealing an anatomic abnormality of the right foot, which involved the absence of the right fifth digit. This had occurred as a painless, spontaneous amputation of the toe, due to a condition known as ainhum, pronounced in-yoom´, which means, “to saw”. Ainhum, also known as dactylolysis spontanea, involves a the formation of a fibrous groove that begins on the plantar surface of the foot, at the base of the fifth toe, becoming deeper over time, circumferentially spreading around the entire base of the toe, a process that can take from 3 months, up to a number of years to complete. The constrictive nature of the band causes the tissues of distal toe to eventually die, resulting in a spontaneous pinching off of this region, thereby, leaving the sufferer with the condition as you see here.
High Resolution: Click here for hi-resolution image (18.35 MB)
Content Provider(s): CDC/ Dr. Henny Gelfand
Creation Date: 1968
Photo Credit:
Links:
Categories:
CDC Organization
Skip Navigation Links.

MeSH
Skip Navigation Links.
Copyright Restrictions: Permission is not required for public domain images, however, these images are provided by CDC and are available for personal, professional, and educational use with appropriate attribution. Redistribution must credit CDC and, where known, the individual photographer, and identify the CDC website as the free source. For additional terms see Use of Agency Materials | Other | CDC