Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that persons biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from the biological parents to the adoptive parents. Unlike guardianship or other systems designed for the care of the young, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status and as such requires societal recognition, either through legal or religious sanction. Historically, some societies have enacted specific laws governing adoption, while others used less formal means (notably contracts that specified inheritance rights and parental responsibilities without an accompanying transfer of filiation). Modern systems of adoption, arising in the 20th century, tend to be governed by comprehensive statutes and regulations. History
Antiquity
Adoption for the well-born
While the modern form of adoption emerged in the United States, forms of the practice appeared throughout history. The Code of Hammurabi, for example, details the rights of adopters and the responsibilities of adopted individuals at length. The practice of adoption in ancient Rome is well-documented in the Codex Justinianus.Markedly different from the modern period, ancient adoption practices put emphasis on the political and economic interests of the adopter, providing a legal tool that strengthened political ties between wealthy families and created male heirs to manage estates. The use of adoption by the aristocracy is well-documented: many of Romes emperors were adopted sons. Adrogation was a kind of Roman adoption in which the person adopted consented to be adopted by another. Infant adoption during Antiquity appears rare.
A Brodie abscess is a subacute osteomyelitis, which may persist for years before progressing to a chronic, frank osteomyelitis. Classically, this may present after progression to a draining abscess extending from the tibia out through the skin. Occasionally acute osteomyelitis may be contained to a localized area and walled off by fibrous and granulation tissue. The most frequent causative organism is Staphylococcus aureus. Presentation
Localized pain, often nocturnal, alleviated by aspirin. Often mimics the symptoms of osteoid osteoma, which is typically less than 1 cm in diameter. Location
Usually occurs at the metaphysis of long bones. Distal tibia,
proximal tibia,
distal femur,
proximal or distal fibula, and
distal radius. Diagnosis
Radiographic features
Oval, elliptical, or serpentine radiolucency usually greater than 1 cm surrounded by a heavily reactive sclerosis, granulation tissue, and a nidus often less than 1 cm. The margins often appear scalloped on radiograph. Brodies abscess is best visualized using computed tomography (CT) scan. Associated atrophy of soft tissue near the site of infection and shortening of the affected bone. Osteoblastoma may be a classic sign for Brodies abscess. Treatment
In the majority of cases, surgery has to be performed. If the cavity is small then surgical evacuation and curettage is performed under antibiotic cover. If the cavity is large then the abscess space may need packing with cancellous bone chips after evacuation. History
Brodie abscess is named after Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet. In the 1830s, he initially described a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the tibia without obvious acute etiology. It was later discovered that this was caused by infection.