9^ Mr, Carlisle's Account of a Family 
been on the outer side of the little finger, and outer side of 
the thumb, never on the back or inside of the hand, or on the 
sides of the intermediate fingers : and in similar cases as to 
the toes, the rule has been invariably the same. In the Sacred 
Writings an example of this kind is given, II Samuel, ch. 3 i. 
V. 20. “ And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man 
« of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on 
‘‘ every foot six toes, four and twenty in number ; and he also 
“ was born to the giant." The same account is repeated in 
I Chronicles, ch. 20. v. 6. 
In the Elementa Physiologiae of Baron Haller, numerous 
examples of this deformity are cited from various authors, 
with some instances of their hereditary descent, and others of 
a cutaneous junction between the extra limbs and the next 
adjoining.* 
That local resemblances, such as those of external parts, 
the hands, the feet, the nose, the ears, and the eye-brows, are 
hereditary, is well known ; and it is almost equally evident, that 
some parts of the internal structure are in like manner trans- 
mitted by propagation : we frequently see a family form of 
the legs and joints, which gives a peculiar gait, and a family 
character of the shoulders, both of which are derived from an 
hereditary similarity in the skeletons. Family voices are also 
very common, and are ascribable to a similar cause. Appa- 
rently many of our English surnames have been taken from 
the hereditary peculiarities of families, and the same practice 
existed among the Romans. Pliny, in his eleventh Book, 
chap. 43, relates an instance of a Roman poet, named Volca- 
Tius, who had six fingers on each hand, and received the 
* Vide Vol. vlii. p. p8. 
