Hunchback

Japanese: せむし

The spine, which is in the center of the back and supports the body, is curved slightly backward at the thoracic vertebrae and forward at the lumbar vertebrae, forming a physiological curve. Sometimes this curve becomes abnormal, and a part of the back becomes round and protruding, which is called a hunchback. A typical example is hunchback (both hunchback and hunchback mean hunchback), in which the transition area between the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae becomes raised, and it is not rare for this to be accompanied by pigeon chest. The 13th daughter (Juusan no Kimi) in Shin Sarugaku-ki, which is said to have been written by Fujiwara no Akihira, is thought to be an example of this ("Kuguse (a hunchback) and has a dove chest"), and Quasimodo in V. Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris also has a rachitic deformity in addition to his congenital anomalies.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

人の背中の中央にあって体を支える脊柱は，胸椎の部分で後方凸に，腰椎の部分で前方凸に軽く曲がって生理的湾曲をつくっている。ときにこの湾曲が異常となり，背中の一部が円く突出した状態を〈せむし〉という。胸椎と腰椎の移行部が盛り上がるくる(佝僂)病性円背(〈佝〉も〈僂〉も〈せむし〉の意)がその典型で，鳩胸を合併する場合が少なくない。藤原明衡の作とされる《新猿楽記》の13番目の娘(十三の君)はこの例と考えられ(〈偊僂（くぐせ）にして鴒胸（はとむね）なり〉)，V.ユゴーの《ノートル･ダム･ド･パリ》のカジモドQuasimodoは先天性奇形にくる病性変形が加わっている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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