348 M ERISTIC VARIATION. [part i 



surface an articulation for a short digit of three phalanges, the second 

 and third being very small. Feet : well formed ; cuboid of size greater 

 than the normal, bearing the proximal end of two united fifth and sixth 

 metatarsals. Each of these is separate peripherally and bears a digit 

 [of 3 phalanges to judge from the figure (fig. 6)] in series with the 

 normal toes, but shorter than the minimus. 



Muscles. In the left hand the sixth digit was fully supplied with 

 muscles. There were two extra interossei and the extensor communis 

 sent tendons to the sixth digit. The abductor, the flexor brevis and 

 the flexor ossis metacarpi which in the normal are proper to the minimus 

 were all inserted into the sixth digit instead. 



In the right hand the extensor communis gave a tendon to the sixth, 

 which also possessed a proper abductor, but the fifth had no special 

 extensor. Of the flexors the sublimis gave a tendon to each of the 

 digits index, medius and annularis, none to the fifth, but a small slip 

 to the sixth. The flexor profundus gave four tendons as usual, but 

 from that going to the fifth a small tendon passes off laterally and 

 piercing the sublimis is inserted as usual. 



In both feet the muscles were similar. The extensor longus gave a 



tendon to the sixth digit, and the extensor brevis does not. The flexor 



longus has four tendons as usual, none going to the sixth digit ; the 



flexor brevis has four normal tendons and an extra one for the sixth. 



The two tendons proper to the fifth (minimus) go to the sixth. The 



interossei are normal and there are only two lumbricales, one for the 



second digit and one for the fourth. Morand 1 , Mem. de V Acad. Roy. 



des Sci., Paris, 1770, p. 142, Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. [The condition of 



the muscles in regard to the fifth and sixth digits in this case is worthy 



of special attention. If the morphologist will here propose to himself 



the question which is the extra digit, he will find it unanswerable. In 



the right hand, judging from the bones, it may seem evident that the 



fifth with its complete metacarpal is the minimus and that the sixth is 



a new structure ; but the condition of the feet and the right hand taken 



with that of the left, make a series or progression from which the 



similarity of the variation in each of the three states is evident; hence, 



if it is thought that the most external digit in the right hand is the 



extra part, it must also be held that the external or sixth digit in the 



left hand is the extra digit. But this digit in respect of its muscles has 



some of the points of structure peculiar to a minimus, while the fifth 



digit or supposed minimus on the contrary is without these characters. 



Hence neither digit is the minimus. Just as in the Condition III (see 



p. 326) of the hand, we saw that on the presence of a digit internal to the 



pollex, the pollex itself may be promoted to be a fingerdike digit with 



three phalanges, so may the fifth digit be partially fashioned as a more 



1 The .similar descriptions and figures given by Otto, I.e., PI. xxv. figs. 9 — 11, 

 Seerig, Vb. angeb. Verwachs. d. Finger u. Zelien, Ammon, Die angeb. Kr. d. Mensch., 

 all refer, I believe, to this one original case of Morand's, though the fact is not 

 stated and though several authors (Gruber, &c.) quote thern as separate cases. 

 Seerig states that his figures are from preparations in the Breslau Museum. These 

 figures agree exactly with those of Otto, which again agree closely with those of 

 Morand but give more detail as to the carpi, taken no doubt from the actual 

 specimens which had been acquired by the Breslau collection. I have therefore 

 copied Otto's figures, though taking the important descriptions from Morand. 



