II. lllll.NKWATKII. 



STI |)V OK A llllACIIVIlAC.ÏVLorS KAJIII.V. 



5M 



STUDY OF A BRACHYDACTYLOUS FAMILY MINOR BRACHYDACTYLY) 



liy H. DRINKWATER .M.D: F.H.S. (Kdin.); F.L.S. 



\\iv\li,iiii (Niiilli \V:iIh*) 



Iii llie Aiiliimii ol' hisl year ( l!)l(l) a iiicdical IViriid, i-i-siilcnl in Livcrpoul, 

 informed me llial a relative of his, whilsl making his oflicial mcilical inspec- 

 tion of scliool cliiklrcn, iiad seen a boy wiiose 

 hands appeared lo l>e of Ihe same Brachydaclylous 

 type which I had described in a communicalion to 

 tlie Royal Society ot" iMlinbiirgh in November 1907. 

 It naturally occiiifed lo me that some family whom 

 I had aiready examined bat! removed lo Lancasbire, 

 but as soon as this boy's name was communicated 

 lo me I knew that he dit mit belong lo any of Ibe 

 familles ah'eady described in liie above-menlioiied 

 account. 



In Decend)(M- I wrote lo Ibe bead mislress of 

 Ibe scliool wliicji tlie boy was said lo attend, and 

 recei\('d Ihe l'ullowing reply. 



[)ec.21t-IO 

 " Dear Sir, 



Your letler lias jiist reaclied me having been 



forwarded from The boy wbom you p, n fiiyxiiwvT'î'K ''"' ' 



refer l(i lias now left scliool. Uis parents live 



at '. Ile is a rather peculiar boy, and dull by nature. Al school \ve used 



to allribute bis slnpidily to Ibe facl that bis parents are relaled : llrst cousins. 



His sliorl fingers did not seem lo hinder bis manual work, but they are 

 remaïkalily short. I remember being lold Ibat Ihe Grandfalher, on Ihe father's 

 side. b,id aiso very short fingers. The boy is now l." years of âge and is ap- 



prcnliced lo a joincr. Dr very kindly ollered lo hâve Ihe boys fingers 



examined at a Liverpool bospilal, but Ibe parents refused Iheir consent. The 

 faliier is a rather intelligent man. and liv occupation a salesman al 



" If I can siipply you willi .■iiiy l'iirtlier inlorninliiiii I shall be very [ileased 



lo <lo 



Yours failblullv. 



L \. 



statenienis 



w hii'li are (if interest 



iolo- 



Tliis lelter conliiins tlii 

 gical slandpoiiil : 



1. As lo Ihe lirachydactylous condition of Ibe boys liands. 



2. The présence of Ibc same condition in a gramlparenl. 

 7). The blooa-relalionship of Ibe parents. 



Clearly il was a case for further inquiry, and I Iricd lo gel some more part 

 culars by correspondence. 



