MISCELLANEA. 
I. Note on Inheritance of Brachydactyly. 
In an addendum to a memoir on "Split Hand and Split Foot Deformities etc." published in 
Biometrika, Vol. vi, Pt. i, 1908, p. 117, the writer, referring to a statement by Punnett to the effect 
that no member of a brachydactylous family who is free from the defect can transmit it to his or 
her offspring, stated that this conclusion is disproved by the family recorded by Hasselwander 
{Zeitschr. f. Morpk. u. Anthrop. Bd. 6, 1903, S. 510 — 526), in which such transmission actually 
occurred. A misprint in the original diagram of the family tree was at the time overlooked, and 
it appears from a personal communication which the writer has received from Dr Hasselwander, 
that transmission of the nature stated did not occur. 
The remaining two families bearing on the matter under consideration, and quoted in a foot- 
note to the original addendum, may bo given in fuller detail. Animon writes in Die angebor. 
chir. Krankh. d. Mensrh. u.s.w. Berlin, 1842, S. 96, as follows: — "Merkwiirdig ist in dieser 
Hiusicht ein von Keltic beobachteter Fall, wo bei den Gliedern einer Familie schou seit zehn 
Generationen nur der Daumen vollstandig gebildet gewesen war, wiilirend an den ubrigen 
Fingern entweder beide Gelenke, oder wenigstens das Nagelglied fehlte. Eigcnthiimlich war 
dabei, dass sich diese Missbildung nur in den weiblichen Gliedern der Familie fortpflanzte." * 
Joachimsthal in Virchow's Archiv, Bd. 151, 1898, Folge xv. Bd. 1, S. 430, writes: — "Die 27- 
jahrige, bis auf die zu schildernden Anomalien an beiden Hiinden normale, 160 cm grosse 
Patientin weiss liber Verbildungen in der Ascendenz nichts zu berichten. Ein 29- und eine 22- 
jahrige Schwester haben, wie sie selbst — wenn auch wenigor ausgesprochen — verkiirzte Zeige- und 
Mittelfinger. Der einzige Bruder ist selbst normal gcstaltct, l>esitzt jedoch eine l-jiihrigo Tochter 
mit den gleichen Fingerverbildungen, ebenso wie dies bei cinem friihzcitig verstorbenen Knaben 
der alteren Schwester der Fall war. Unsere Patientin selbst ist Mvitter eines jctzt 4-j;ihrigen, 
normalen Knaben. Von den verbildeten Familienmitgliedern habe ich nur die 22-jahrige 
Schwester zu untersuchen vermocht, u.s.w." 
In the original addendum the Hasselwander family constituted the most conclusive evidence 
for the transmission of brachydactylia through a normal individual, and this portion of the 
evidence must be withdrawn without qualification. 
In conclusion, gratitude must be expressed to Mr Punnett for his courtesy in allowing the 
writer the opportunity of personally correcting the error which has occurred. 
July 2, 1908. 
THOMAS LEWIS. 
II. Note on Inheritance in Man. 
The importance of certain considerations being borne in mind with regard to pedigree work is 
well illustrated by Dr Lewis' note. On looking at Hasselwander's pedigree I personally should 
consider Dr Lewis' statement correct, not because of the misprint which might attribute some 
of the children of Fanny to Victoria, a normal individual (for the numbering of the offspring 
shows that there was a misprint of some sort), but because the writer states directly that the 
deformed Josepha K. was the child of normal parents. 
* The original report of the Keltie family has since been found (Edin. Bled, and Surg. Jourii. 1808, 
Vol. IV. p. 252). The condition was in all probability the same as that in the Farabee family. The 
women who transmitted the defect were apparently also malforiued, though from the text it is somewhat 
uncertain. 
