Polydactyly The curious Congenital Anomaly found In Humans and Cats.
93There have always been strange human anomalies, mainly genetic, that pop up all around the world, from conjoined twins, to very tall, or very small people. But the one that has always fascinated me was Polydactyly, and Syndactyly. These are both congenital defects that affect the fingers and toes of humans. In other words, people who are born with extra fingers and/or toes. It has also been known to happen in the animal kingdom. Polydactyly affects the fingers and toes, and Syndactyly causes the fusing or webbing of the digits.
I first started to take notice of this anomaly, when I was reading a novel about Anne Boleyn. Evidently she had Polydactyly. it is believed that she had one extra digit on her right hand. Some say, that after she had been beheaded, the executioner reached down and secretly chopped of her hand, and put it inside his clothing. After she had been taken away for burial, the hand was hidden and thereafter used for magical purposes. Unfortunately, both of these stories probably come from myths and legends down the ages. In 1876, after an exhumation of Anne boleyn, they discovered that in fact her whole body was perfectly shaped, and her hands were devoid of any extra digits. She was 5' 3'' tall and very delicately built.
Polydactyly still in the news
The most common extra finger is on the side of the hand next to the ulnar, or little finger. it is not actually always a real looking finger. Sometimes it is just a small, thin piece of skin tissue, with a finger nail attached. But it has been known to be fully functional, and not only that, it may just be one of several extra fingers. Some of these fingers can be fused all the way up the side of the other nearest finger, or just partially fused.
On March 24, 2010 Fox News reported that a 6 year old boy from china, was born with 5 extra fingers and 6 extra toes. So altogether he had 31 fingers and toes. The unnamed child had an operation to remove the extra digits.
For the full story, see below
Causes
Polydactyly is caused by errors in fetal development.. Syndactyly when you get webbed feet or hands, is caused by the fact that, when the baby is in the womb, the skin between toes and fingers that cause it to look webbed, should die away and form perfect toes and fingers, but for some reason this does not happen. It is not a problem and just normally runs in families. I have a couple of webbed toes, and so did my mother. Most of these traits are isolated and caused by an autosomal gene. This means it is not sex-linked i.e. male or female. So either your mother or father could carry it, and if, like me, my mother had webbed feet, then of course so did I. I like to be different!
Multi Symptom disease
Sometimes the cause can be a bit more complicated. They can be just one of the abnormalities which occur when a baby is born with other more serious defects. Either mental or physical. Either caused in the womb, medicines that have been taken when pregnant, or toxins in the environment.
The more serious causes of Polydactyly, can be caused by the following diseases.
1. Ellis-van Creveld syndrome also known as Chondroectodermal dysplasia. This is an inherited condition caused by defects in two genes known as EVC and EVC2. The strange thing about this is that it is mainly seen within the Old order Amish population of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
2. Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome. This is a rare condition resulting in a defect of a gene that leads to a protein called a CREB binding protein going wrong. This is known as CREBBP. Some people with this condition are actually born without this gene. Anybody born with this condition suffer with the following symptoms.
Broad thumbs and toes
short in stature
distinctive facial features
mental problems
Trisomy 13, is another factor that can cause Polydactyly. It is when a persons body has three copies of a genetic material instead of the usual two, from chromosome 13. This is not an inherited disease it is usually caused by something happening in the womb. The DNA from chromosome 13 appears in other parts of the body. This causes the extra material to interfere with normal development.
Syndactyly or webbing of the feet or fingers
Syndactyly is usually just called webbing of the toes, where the skin is further up the toes joining one or more together. It can vary from a small amount of skin, or can be fused all the way to the top. It is usually inherited, but can be caused by other factors. Sometimes it will be fused by not only the skin, but also by bone. It can be a side affect of Cardiac problems when the child is born. But it is mainly just inherited from your parents, in exactly the same way as Polydactyly.
Polydactyly and Syndactyly cats.
For some strange reason, both of these syndromes have been found in cats. The greatest number of toes on a cat has been 32! this was reported in 1974. The male cat called 'Mickey Mouse' owned by a Mrs Renee Delgade of Westlake Village, California, was believed to have had something called double paws, where each paw is two, fused mirror image paws. Obviously, a Polydactyly cat has many paws, and a Syndactyly cat has less paws, as his paws are fused together. Now I bet you never knew that! I know I didn't! Evidently there is a breed of cat called a Maine cat that is bred to carry on having Polydactyly cats!
Polydactyly poody cats!
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Famous People with Polydactyly
Gemma Aterton who plays agent Fields in the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, said ' It's my little oddity, people are really interested, but repulsed at the same time, but I am proud of it'.
She goes on to say, 'My dad had them, and my grandad, I feel we are one step ahead, a sign of things to come' She joked, 'We could do more stuff if we had extra fingers, faster texting, faster e-mailing, and better guitar playing'. She also added that she had been born with a number of deformities, including a crumpled ear.
Antonio Alfonseca
Antonio is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher, who plays for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic league of Professional baseball. He also pitched in Major League Baseball for the Philadelephia phillies. he has an extra digit on each hand and foot.
Antonio Alfonseca
Ashton Kutcher the Actor showing of his famous syndactyly toes
Marilyn Monroe
I couldn't leave this without putting the most well known Polydactyly here. For many years people believed that Marilyn was a Polydactyly. Having six toes on one of her feet. But now it is thought that this was a myth caused by a photo taken by Joseph Jasgur in March 1946. it seemed to show her with an extra toe, but it is now believed to be a trick of the light. As there has been no evidence to the contrary, Marilyn's extra toe has gone into myth and legend.
The picture on the beach shows Marilyn with her 'extra' toe. it is just sand.
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CommentsLoading...
So interesting and it does get my attention when I hear about it. Including the recent case in China. It probably happens more than we know and for too many reasons unknown.
Thanks for an informative yet intriguing hub!
Hi, Msorensson, thank you again for being so quick! I really appreciate it. I am glad you like it. cheers nell
Hi, BkCreative, thanks for reading it. I suddenly got the interest in it when I saw Gemma Aterton on TV the other night. She was talking about it, and I thought it sounded interesting. thanks nell
Hi Nell as always you have a way of giving us the best...thank you for all the hard work and the effort in putting this together...you are special Girl...
Hugs and Blessings
Wow, Nell, that is something interesting. Thank you for a well research and written hub. You can be proud of it.
Very interesting hub Nell. I learn something new every day.
Wow! Talk about "unique hub"! Still- somehow I feel odder than these folks. Thanks Nell!
Hi, Quill, I am glad you liked it. I saw something on the TV the other night, and wham out came the notebook and I couldn't stop writing! ha ha my family think I am mad! thanks again nell
Hi, Hello hello, thanks for reading it, I always appreciate your kind comments.and I am glad you liked it. Nell
Hi, fishtiger, I always try and find something just a little bit different. If I spot something strange, I sink my teeth straight in, and don't let go until it has finished! hee hee. cheers nell
Hi, Mickey, I know just how you feel! LOL I may be a lot of things, but one of them 'aint normal' ha ha thanks again nell
This is very interesting, and you've put all this information together very well! Thanks!
The craziest thing ever - I know someone who had that happen to his little girl. I always say these days - every time someone has a perfect little someone, be it human or in the animal kingdom - what a gift!
Hi, Rose, glad you liked it. thank you for reading it. cheers nell
Hi, Audrey, I expect this is quite a common thing, but not many people talk about it. It is just that when people don't have them removed that we know about them. Or in the case of Gemma, above, talking about it on TV. And you are so right, whenever someone has a baby, we always count the fingers and toes first. Thanks again, nell
Interesting write, Nell, and good to have you back. I rather wondered where you had been. This is an interesting topic for me, since I research different cat breeds quite a bit. I have noticed that many mutations end up being new breed preferences. Perhaps we should learn something from this typical occurance. Thanks for writing this.
Hi, Valerie, I am glad that you liked it. Yes they do seem to make mutations into a breed of their own. It is like the manx cat, that lives on the Isle of Man, just of the coast of western England. These cats do not have a tail. They are specifically known to this Island. thanks nell
Hi girl, this reminds me of my brother, he was probably in his twenties when for some reason his wife brought up the fact his thumbs looked like big toes and I went to look and although I would never do another soul that way I had to keep going to look and laugh, big toes on your hands! He didn't mind though, probably all his older brothers had put him through the ringer on that one until it was old by now.
I had no idea it was as common as it is... interesting!!
Hi, Pollyannalana, lol that is really funny. Maybe his toes looked like thumbs? I have got funny feet, apart from the web toes, my big toe on each foot bends up like a mountain! I think it was because I did a lot of ballet when I was small, maybe it is just me!! ha ha thanks again nell
Hi, carolina muscle, yes it's funny how many people do have it. it would be interesting to see if they were all related going back hundreds of years. you never know! thanks again nell
What an interesting hub! well done. I wasn't aware of oll the causes of these so called imperfections. It is our imperfections that make us so much more interesting.
Hi, jjmyles, thanks for reading it,I quite agree with you, that's what makes everyone different and special. thank you for stopping by. nell
Hi Nell, what an interesting subject. I may be syndactyly myself as my toes look kinda funny, so does my dads’. I think this is nothing to bother about and if you could put an extra finger or toe to a good cause then would actually be great.
Something I find odd is most peoples little toe next to the big one is longer than the big toe. Mine is not and I am so glad, but it is with so many that must be the normal????
Hi, cameciob, I think most people have funny feet. I don't think anyone is happy with their feet! lol, that is why I always cover mine up! thanks again nell
Hi, Polly, i couldn't tell you if it is normal as my big toes are really bendy! lol I think the next toe is longer because it is usually flatter, maybe? thanks again nell
Nell, I was so disappointed to read that Anne Boleyn did not have those extra fingers, not sure why, but some of those myths are just plain cool. My cat, Banjo, is polydactyl, has an extra toe on each foot. His front feet look like hands. We should have called him mittens.
Oh, and what Pollyanna said up there? I have read that they can tell a Neanderthal skeleton foot because that second toe is so much longer than the great toe.
Hi, Dolores, so you have a polydactyl cat? wow, I didn't even know about them until I suddenly got interested in this subject. When I mentioned it to my brother, he said I must be stupid! lol I think I read that somewhere about the Neanderthal toes. Thank goodness mine are not like that then! ha ha but seriously that is really interesting. They used to say that Neanderthals never mixed with other human species but maybe they did. We misunderstood them so much. they used to say that they were backward and not intelligent, but now studies have shown that, not only were they intelligent but also very gentle people. that is why they were wiped out, because they were not agressive enough to other human species. So the vicious ones won it seems. thanks again nell
A Vet's Nurse I used to work with had a ginger polydactyl cat called "Mr Fingers". Sadly he was run over and killed when only a couple of years old, but he sure was cute. This hub was a great read and I really enjoyed finding out more about people who have this trait, and the photos were amazing.
Hi, misty, how sad about Mr Fingers, as I have said above, it never even dawned on me that cats had this as well as humans. I always thought that Anne Boleyn had it, and was quite disappointed that the stories weren't true. thanks nell
Hi Nell, Great and interesting hub. The first thing I thought of when I saw the six fingered guy, was the Nephilem (1/2 human, 1/2 'god' hybrids) of Biblical legend; like Goliath and Og, who were said to have 6 fingers and six toes. It would be a trip if some of these folks condition could be a genetic throwback, from ancient times. This has also been mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, and you can see that the old gods, and their children had six digits in a lot of Sumerian art. Just an absract thought, I didn't mean to get off the subject. Take care, and thanks a million!
Hi, Joshua, thanks for the extra info. That is fascinating. I never knew about the Nephilem having 6 fingers and toes. Or the epic of Gilgamesh mentioning it as well. I love these sort of links, and as you say, maybe they are throwbacks to these people. Now I have to go look it up! ha ha you started me on something there! thanks nell
You never cease to amaze me
this is what hubs should be
thank you
billY
Nell, another well written hub. I always find myself coming back. lol
Hi, billY, thanks for reading it, I just got interested after seeing Gemma on Tv, and thought, wow, maybe other people have this, but I didn't realise that cats had it!thanks nell
Hi, Granny, thank you again, I really appreciate it. Nell
Most interesting Nell. You put a lot of work into this one. I have seen cats with extra toes. I have a cloven soul, I'm Gemini.
Fascinating Hub, Nell. I had a friend at College who was born with an extra finger on each hand. She had them removed when she was a toddler, but you could still see the scars and where her hand was slightly broader where they had been removed from.
Nice job on this hub, very interesting and well researched. My daughter was born with an extra digit, to the right of her thumb. That was my first introduction to this. I had it surgically removed when she was old enough and when other children became too curious.
Great Job,
Sage
Hi, ralwus, I must have one too! I am also a Gemini! 18th june. 19 blah blah blah lol I had heard of people with too many fingers and toes, but not cats. This taught me something about it too. thanks for reading it. Nell
Hi, CmHypno, Isn't it funny how common it is? I never realised that before. I suppose, as you say, most people have them removed when they are young. Thanks again nell
Hi, Sage, thanks for reading it. I didn't realise that it was so common and normal to have this. Maybe back in the past, people did have an extra finger on each hand. Maybe over the years as we developed as humans, it wasn't necessary any more. one day we may find this out. thanks again nell
Interesting hub Nell and well presented. I enjoyed the read and the photos too!
Hi Green Lotus, thanks for reading it, and I am glad you liked it. I did it really because I got fed up with trying to find a decent hairstyle! thanks again nell
Facinating hub, a good read, with plenty of photo's which actually added to the hub as opposed to so many others I've read which just seem to stick them in any old how, what ever the subject. I've learnt a lot!
Hi, Kathryn, thanks for reading it. I don't usually add loads of photos but I got carried away a bit this time! lol I am glad you liked it. cheers nell
This was very interesting. Aren't the cats on the Hemingway estate Polydactyly and Syndactyly cats? I thought I read that somewhere, and it's why he left his estate to them. Their are several generations of the cat living on the site. I truly enjoyed reading this, job well done.
Hi, pmccray, this is really interesting, I have never heard of the Heminghway estate. I will have to go and check it out. thanks for the info. and for reading it. Nell
On your list of latest hubs I saw this one's title and it was just driving me crazy that I could not remember what polydactyly meant. I'm glad I did. This is such a fascinating well-researched article. This topic so well illustrates all the factors genetic and otherwise that influence the body and its development.
I have seen people with this condition but didn't know it has a name. Nice article.
Hi, Ron, nice to see you, thanks for reading it. I got interested in this when I was watching a TV programme with Gemma Aterton, the bond girl, in it. She started talking about the fact that she was born with it, and straight away I thought, There's another hub! I like anything strange or mysterious, whether in the human world or the psychic. I have to get to the bottom of it, so to speak! thanks again nell
Hi, BeatsMe, thanks for your nice comments, glad you liked it, cheers nell
My son was born with 5 fingers and 4 thumbs. A very big shock - but I love him soooooooooooo much. He has had many operations - and was doing quite well. But, since we went into witness protection - the care he previously received - and I was promised would continue - has not been forthcoming. Now, as he is too old, any further treatment would not be of any benefit - so does he now suffer in silence?
It was 5 fingers and 4 thumbs on each hand
Hi, mandy, thank you for reading it. I am not sure of the stage that he has got too, but maybe when he is older? it is such a shame that he had all those operations and then fate took a turn, and now they haven't kept to their word. I hope it all works out for you and your son. thank you again nell
Great info here! My step son has webbed toes, and while we've researched it a bit, you've added way more background to this puzzle than I was aware of.
Hi, Gracie, I have webbed toes too! lol that's what started me off looking! there must be some great Genes working on us! ha ha
Very interesting to read your piece on this. I think myself and my family are probably quite unique as to the amount of us who are effected with polydactyly. Myself, I was born the youngest of 3 children and I was born with six toes on each foot and also have a very broad thumb and webbed toes also. My two older sisters did not have any extra digits. I have 3 children and the eldest had 12 fingers and 12 toes, the middle one had 12 toes and the youngest had 12 fingers and 12 toes. The younger two also have very broad thumbs and one has had operations to stop the bones growing on one side of the branch. All the extra digits were removed when we were all very young, however my Father was born with 12 toes way back in the days when there was not much in the way of anaesthetics and his parents allowed Doctors to remove only one of his 12 toes, and he went through the rest of his life with 11 toes. Although my sister had no extras herself, 2 of her 3 children, my niece and nephew both had extra digits, and my niece also has 3 children of which I think 2 were born with extra toes and fingers! Quite a lot for the one family I would say. How I would love to actually find out which branch in my family tree this descended from.
Hi, Dusty, thats a fascinating story! wow! and I thought my family were unique with my mum and me having webbed feet and hands! lol it would be good to see if you can trace your family tree to find the original person who started all this, I would imagine its because the births should have been twins maybe, but got drawn together in the womb, and one somehow disappears, maybe you should look into, thanks for reading, cheers nell
Wow how interesting- great hub.
wow 8 toes on each foot
I bet PT Barnum looked for these people! Interesting subject. Voted up.
Voted up and interesting, Nell. Wow...didn't know this existed in such a wide array. Though, admittedly, the 6 digits per hand aren't as noticeable if they're all formed correctly in conjunction with the other fingers.
Very well researched, indeed! Great job. I have heard of and seen polydactyl kitties. They are just as sweet as any other cat. (Can you tell I love cats?) ;-)
I've never personally known anyone with either condition.
Very interesting--voted up!
Hi, Silver Fish, glad you liked it, and thanks for reading!
Hi, Baileybear, yes, must be really uncomfortable! thanks so much nell
Hi, tillsontitan, yes your right! he probably did, and many other showmen like him too, thanks again, nell
Hi, kitty, yes it wouldn't be as noticeable, I expect a lot of countries still have this problem but the people can't get medical help for it, thanks
Hi, DzyM, I think the cats are gorgeous! even if they had ten feet! ha ha thanks again nell
Very interting never red anyone write about this. My toes, the two in the middle, are like Astons but more skin. I don't know anyone in the family who has them. My pops used to say thats why I ran fast.
Hi, lumarie, thanks for reading, I have webbed toes and my mum used to say I would be a good swimmer! lol
I just read in that early fossils had 8 digits, not 5
Hi, Baileybear, is that humans or animals? amazing isn't it? thanks for the info, nell
humans are animals, so both. Early ancestor fossils had 8 digits & during evolution lost some digits. Polydactyl is a throw-back, much like human tails
apparently the extra toes in cats are opposable and some cats can use them to manipulate objects. Any unusual cats were destroyed in medieval europe because of witchcraft superstitions
early 4-limbed aquatic animals had up to 8 toes on each limb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyly_in_early_
Hi, Baileybear thats amazing, I never realised that we were throwbacks, I have the webbed toes, my feet are actually more than that! lol I have a really bent big toe on each foot that never straightens out! I might have known that witchcraft superstitions wiped out the cats, what a shame. 8 toes on aquatic animals? I shall have to go and check out your links, thanks so much!
I've listed a few atavisms (throwbacks - expression of ancient genes) in my hub http://baileybear.hubpages.com/hub/Evolution-Unint
You wrote a hub on Julia Pastrana - her condition is throwback too
when they wiped out nearly the entire cat population, the rat population exploded, assisting the spread of black plague which wiped out huge chunk of human population
Hi, Oh of course! the rats! yes its coming back to me now, and thanks again, I will be over shortly to read your evolution hub, thanks again nell
There are a tribe of people somewhere almost all have extra digits, sorry cant remember where I saw this
Hi, dingyskipper, Wow fascinating! I shall have to go and search see if I can find them on the internet somewhere, thanks!
elo my name is lulu, And i would just like to say hi to everyone! (:
i wonder how it would feel to have this
this is amazing , to see people like this
me have both! polydactyl and syndactyl.. maybe i am the only one who have this in the whole wide world. amazing! it was not featured in the article above. am proud of it.
Hi, hazel, I have webbed toes! lol! thanks for reading, cheers nell
My brother (who is in perfect health) has 2 web toes on both feet. Now my son newborn has little nubs next to his pinky on both hands . They are just hanging on by a very thin piece of skin. Could the baby have inherited this from our side of the family?
Hi, Sandy, thanks for commenting, its possible, it does seem to be genetic, I have webbed feet and so did my mum, but my brother hasn't got anything like that, so it seems likely that you new son has inherited it, and congrats on your baby! don't worry about it at all as its perfectly natural, and if it doesn't bother your son then its fine, maybe when he's older if he wants them sorted out it should be fine, thanks again nell
Hi Nell, thanks for your response. It helped!
Hi, Sandy, glad it helped, and thanks for replying, nell
I was born with 6 fingers a double thumb on each hane the other thumb had no nail on it. I had 6 toes on each foot and webbing in between thumb and index finger and webbing between four toes on feet cynthiahabina@gmail.com
Hi, cynthia, thanks for reading about polydactyly, that is really interesting, thanks for sharing, nell
Don't think Anne Boleyn was five inches, three feet tall! HA!
Ooops! lol! thanks Chris!
msorensson Level 3 Commenter 2 years ago
Thank you, Nell. Well researched and well presented.