Malformations of the Hands and Feet

Female, Hindoo, aged 40; not known to be hereditary; neither father nor mother, sisters, brothers, nor children, have the deformity. The thumb of the left hand was very broad, bulging out at the end of the first phalanx, and then narrowing to the root of the single normal nail. The metacarpal bone was single, but flattened at its distal extremity, and presented two articular surfaces, to which were articulated two first phalanges. The larger of the two was continuous with the metacarpal bone, and formed the outer side of the double thumb; and to it was joined the ungual phalanx which bore the normal nail; the other phalanx was smaller and shorter than this and obliquely placed. Its ungual phalanx was placed obliquely to it, so that the two formed a triangle with the normal thumb bones. The movements of the distal joint were considerably impeded. No. 8.