CHAP. XIII.] 



DOUBLE-HAND. 



495. DOUBLE-HAND II. Eight digits in two groups of four and four. 

 Woman (examined alive) having eight fingers in the left hand 

 arranged as follows (Fig. 93). With the exception of the left arm 

 the body was normal. The limb was very muscular. The shoulder- 

 joint was natural. The external condyloid ridge of the hunx-rus 

 was strongly defined. The muscles and tendons of the fore-arm 

 were so prominent that it was not easy to decide whether there 

 was a second radius or ulna, but Murray eventually came to the 



FIG. 93. Left hand of No. 495. (After MUEEAY.) 



conclusion that there was no such extra bone. The fore-arm 

 could be only partially flexed. The eight fingers were arranged in 

 two groups of four in each, one of the groups standing as the four 

 normal fingers do, and the other four being articulated where the 

 thumb should be. There was no thumb distinguishable as such, 

 but it is stated that there was a protuberance on the dorsal side 

 of the hand, between the two groups of fingers, and this is con- 

 sidered by Murray to represent the thumbs, for according to his 

 view the limb was composed of a pair of hands compounded by 

 their radial sides. In the figure of the dorsal aspect which is given 

 by Murray taken from a photograph, this protuberance cannot be 

 clearly made out. The four radial fingers in size and shape 

 appeared to be four fingers of a right hand. In the radial group of 

 fingers, the " middle " and " ring " fingers (6 and 7) were webbed as 

 far as the proximal joints, and the movements of the fingers of this 

 group were somewhat stiff and imperfect. Between the two groups 

 of fingers there was a wide space as between the thumb and index 

 of a normal hand, and the two parts of the hand could be opposed 

 to each other and folded upon each other. The power of inde- 

 pendent action of the fingers was very limited. No single finger 

 could be retained fully extended while the other seven fingers 

 were flexed, but if both " index " fingers (4 and 5) were extended, 



