
No. 427.] ABNORMALITY IN CATS’ PAWS. 519 
NERVES. 
The radial nerve after becoming subcutaneous follows the 
courseiand distribution of the dorsal veins, which are shown 
in Figs. r1 and 12. The median nerve (Figs. 15, 16, n.n.) 
besides supplying the muscle flexor communis digitorum is dis- 
tributed to four consecutive digits, beginning with the radial 
side, in the normal and to five consecutive digits in the poly- 
dactyle paw. In the normal manus the z/zar nerve divides, 
just below the olecranon, into an inner (ventral, 7.2/z.v.) and 
an outer (dorsal, z.zZz.d.) 
branch (Fig. 15). The 
outer (dorsal) branch 
passes to the outer side of 
digit V and also sends dor- 
sally a branch to the inter- 
nal side of the same digit 
and to the external side of 
digit 7V. In both normal 
and polydactyle manus the 
internal (ventral) branch 
of the ulnar (Figs. 15, 16, 
n.uln.v.) supplies the three 
external digits. Fic. 13. — Palmar aspect of left manus of normal cat. 
art.r., radial artery. 
For a point of reference 
in comparing the nerves we 
may takea small branch which passes from the uzarto the median 
nerve. This unites with that branch of the median which in 
the normal manus (Fig. 15) passes to the ulnar side of digit 7/7 
and to the radial side of digit ZV. Zn the hexadactyle manus 
(Fig. 16) the branch of the median nerve which is joined by the 
ulnar nerve likewise passes to the ulnar side of digit III and to 
the radial side of digit IV. There is, then, in the abnormal 
manus radially to the nerve of reference one more digit than 
exists in the normal manus. This makes it apparent that the 
modification producing polydactylism has occurred on the 
radial side of the manus. 

Fic. 14. — Palmar aspect of left manus of polydactyle cat. 
