Meckel tells of a case in which a man had 12 fingers and 12 toes,
all well formed, and whose children and grandchildren inherited
the deformity. Mason has seen nine toes on the left foot. There
is recorded the account of a child who had 12 toes and six
fingers on each hand, one fractured. Braid describes talipes
varus in a child of a few months who had ten toes. There is also
on record a collection of cases of from seven to ten fingers on
each hand and from seven to ten toes on each foot. Scherer gives
an illustration of a female infant, otherwise normally formed,
with seven fingers on each hand, all united and bearing claw-like
nails. On each foot there was a double halux and five other
digits, some of which were webbed.
The influence of heredity on this anomaly is well demonstrated.
Reaumur was one of the first to prove this, as shown by the
Kelleia family of Malta, and there have been many corroboratory
instances reported; it is shown to last for three, four, and even
five generations; intermarriage with normal persons finally
eradicates it.
It is particularly in places where consanguineous marriages are
prevalent that supernumerary digits persist in a family. The
family of Foldi in the tribe of Hyabites living in Arabia are
very numerous and confine their marriages to their tribe.
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