Wikipedia:POTD column/April 7, 2006

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An X-ray of a polydactyl human left hand.

Polydactyly is the anatomical abnormality of having more than the usual number of digits on the hands or feet. It is a congenital abnormality, usually genetically inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. There are several varieties of polydactyly; this X-ray photograph shows a left hand with middle ray duplication. In Western societies, the additional digits are usually surgically removed during early life.

Photo credit: Drgnu23 and Grendelkhan
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