My reason for now reproducing the plate is that it offers an
important item of evidence in reference to the development of
short-limbed dwarfs. Although we must not place too much reliance
on the accuracy of the draughtsman, since he has figured some
superfluous lumbar vertebrae, yet there can be no doubt that the
limbs are much too short for the trunk and head. This remark
especially applies to the lower limbs and pelvis. These are
exactly like those of the Norwich dwarf and of the skeleton in
the Heidelberg Museum which I described in a recent number of the
'Archives.' The point of extreme interest in the present case is
that this dwarfing of the limbs is associated with polydactylism.
Both the hands have seven digits. The right foot has eight and
the left nine. The conditions are not exactly symmetrical, since
in some instances a metacarpal or metatarsal bone is wanting; or,
to put it otherwise, two are welded together. It will be seen
that the upper extremities are so short that the tips of the
digits will only just touch the iliac crests.
"This occurrence of short limbs with polydactylism seems to prove
conclusively that the condition may be due to a modification of
development of a totally different nature from rickets.
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