ANATOMY OF A MONODACTYLOUS FOETUS 387 



and the legs strongly flexed and drawn up against the abdomen. 

 On following the line of the vertebral column, a slight scoliosis 

 is observed in the thoracic region convex to the right. 



The whole body is covered with a well developed lanugo 

 moderately dark in color, and on the head is abundant fine black 

 hair about 2 cm. in length. Nails are present on all the digits of 

 both upper and lower limbs, but are yet some distance from 

 the extreme ends. 



The weight of the child is 1280 grams, and the length from 

 the vertex of the skull to the ischial tuberosity, measured over 

 the back, is 325 mm. These measurements correspond fairly 

 well with figures given by Keibel and Mall ('10) and by Mc- 

 Murrich ('15) for the seventh month. 



The deformed upper extremities show an upper arm segment 

 with the forearm flexed upon it and united to it by a web of skin, 

 a narrow carpal region and a single digit. On the right arm 

 there is also a single digit located at the inner side of the elbow. 

 The general resemblance to the wing of a chicken plucked for 

 cooking is strong, and led to the assertion that the mother's 

 fondness for visiting the zoological gardens and watching the 

 birds was responsible for this deformity, because she had spent 

 much time in this way during the spring and summer months 

 of her pregnancy. JVIaternal impressions have been credited 

 with many strange and miraculous powers without any rational 

 basis, and this is surely an example where a credulous imagina- 

 tion has been led far astray. A mere coincidence has been used 

 to work out a sequence of cause and effect, and, like much cir- 

 cumstantial evidence, there is here no basis for the assumption 

 that the two facts have in truth any association whatever. 

 Only a very sfight knowledge of human embryology is necessary 

 to shatter the theory in this case. The bird impl-ession, if it 

 may be so called, seized the mother during the spring and 

 summer when she had a strong desire to be out of doors. It 

 may be assumed that the deformity in the limbs was an accom- 

 phshed fact when the limb skeleton was laid down and so was 

 present at the time of the appearance of ossification in the limbs 

 in the seventh week of development. Indeed it may even be 



