Enlarge Descriptive Card Log Book Entry (none)
Rodin Number: 02
E Number: none
Donor: Osler
Date: unknown
Size (H x W cm): 11 x 7
The specimen shows a portion of left ventricle which has detached from the glass rods on which it was first mounted, making appreciation of underlying abnormalities difficult. Originally, the specimen showed vegetations of infectious endocarditis on two aortic valve leaflets and a stenotic mitral valve (as per Rodin's image (A), in which "A" indicates the mitral valve and "B" the aortic vegetations). The aortic vegetations can be seen with difficulty on the current specimen.
Click on caption to enlarge image.
Comment
The unfortunate breakage of the supporting glass rods illustrates the fragility of the specimens in the collection. Although we cannot know for certain, it is likely that the specimen was mounted in 1935 when the collection underwent one its two major restorations. Exactly when and how the breakage occurred is uncertain.
The descriptive card states that the valvular thickening is the result of "previous attacks of simple endocarditis". It is likely that these were the result of rheumatic fever rather than infectious endocarditis.