Extra Fingers and Toes- Is it Genetic??

I just read this story about a guy who had two extra toes and a finger removed by doctors. Now this isn't really a major deal or anything, but a little into the article, I noticed that it said many people in this guy's village also had extra fingers and toes.

Now my question, is this genetic??? or could it be some sort mutation due to something in these people's environment that is causing this. Why would so many in one village have the same issue???

Surgery Removes Man's Extra Digits, Brings Hope of Better Life Ion His Native Dominican Republic
Tirso Furcal's extra finger and two extra toes made life in his impoverished country, the Dominican Republic, even more difficult. The stone polisher struggled to walk and his frequent injuries blocked his hopes for better-paying work.
Now, thanks to the generosity of a hospital and surgeons in Jersey City, the extra digits have been removed and Furcal, 41, is healing quickly. Next week, he will return to his wife and three children in his village, Brisas de los Palemeras, a region where several other residents, mainly children, also have extra fingers and toes.

Does anyone know if there are similiar cases of villages or areas with a concentrated number of these type of cases???




[edit on 12-1-2004 by worldwatcher]

I'm not sure if its 100% genetic, but its would make sense if the trait could be passed on and if the person with the trait were to produce offspring with someone that carries the genes it would probably increase the chances of the offspring having the same "defect". We used to have a cat that had quite a few extra tous, we thought it was extremely uncommon for this to happen but found out it is alot more common than expected.

cats.about.com...

The trait for polydact comes from a dominant gene, and only a polydactyl cat can parent another polydact.

So, rather than a breed, polydact is just a genetic trait, somewhat like the genetics for the tabby pattern.

I realize I'm talking about cats but genetics is genetics.

Originally posted by worldwatcher
is this genetic??? or could it be some sort mutation due to something in these people's environment that is causing this. Why would so many in one village have the same issue???

Most things people think are genetic aren't - they're genetic mutations caused by diseases and/or exposures to environmental pathogens.

My research says extra fingers and toes - called 'polydactyly' I think - is a mutation caused by a disease in combination with something 'environmental.'

...I actually have several files on this - didn't look for them before I responded but FYI - I do have verification and substantiation...


.

This deformities could caused by a high radiation area..for example: Tschernobyl, Ukraine, 1986 (the nuclear power plant disaster) in this areas around, around the nuclear power plant, were children born with a lofty percentage of deformities, in the past and right now! Because of the high radioation..

Famers reported about their cows which get deformities on the legs, and/or don�t "perform" milk.

I saw this show about this village in africa that has this hand deformity thing. Every1 in the village had it. It actually helped them climb up trees. The hands were better for grabbing. On the show they aslo mentioned a female newsreporter with the same thing. I cant remember her name and im to young to have seen any of her reports. Anyone remember her?

More interesting are those born with webbed hands and feet)

I used to have a cat that had 6 toes on each paw, front and back. This did benefit the cat, as the extra digit acted as a thumb and this cat had pretty amazing manual dexterity. He could pick up a pencil with one paw, but alas, never took to writing anything with it.

I beleive this was a genetic trait as all of his offspring had the same mutation.

reply to post by soficrow


you are talking absolute rubbish!my son has extra fingers try reading up on the matter before posting your rubbish

I would think extra digits would be genetic. If it was a product of chemicals or radiation the mutations would surely vary more.

And yes, cats that have six toes carry a mutated gene. I believe they traced the mutation back to one original six toed female cat that arrived with early settlers.

...Aparently, according to the Bible some of the "giant" relatives of Goliath also has six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot....

It appears to have been a family trait that was passes on...





"The BIBLE specifically details features of the GIANTS:

De 3:11
For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of GIANTs; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

1sa 17:4
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named GOLIATH, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

2sa 21:20
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.

1ch 20:6
And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the GIANT. "





groups.msn.com...

reply to post by worldwatcher


Hey! I live in Norway and i have read in this magazine where this lady said her new born child had six fingers and six toes. She had been born with the same and had surgery to remove the extra ones and was going to have it done to child. I believe it is genes past down from the giants who lived in fillistine in King Davids time.

reply to post by Sonya610

Interesting that this issue comes forward taking into consideration that recently in California was a birth of one girl with 6 digits in both feet and hands and in this rear occasion they are actually perfectly functional.

But it was told in the news that that genetic characteristic runs in the fathers family he also was born with 6 digits but his were not functional and they were eliminated.

Baby Born With 12 Fingers, 12 Toes

www.cafemom.com...

[edit on 5-2-2009 by marg6043]

Originally posted by IntelRetard
More interesting are those born with webbed hands and feet)

I have two semi-webbed toes on each foot, so has my sister. My father has them on only one foot. My nephew has two fully webbed toes on each foot ........ New species HOMO-AQUATICUS

When i was born i had an extra thumb on my left hand. But not a fully develouped one. It was tiny. I always wonder if it would have grown into a real working thumb and the doctors robbed me of one of my digits without my consent. I can feel the tendon under my skin and what feels like the joint. My parents said the doctor told them it was pretty common.

I was born with the same condition as the man in that news article,six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, all have been removed but as far as i can tell I could use them fully(I has them removed when i was 1.) however this was passed down from my father and from his father. I am not sure how this appeared in our genetic line but I am currently researching it to find out.

[edit on 8-5-2009 by clabunny]

reply to post by Ambient Sound


I knew someone who had a cat like that too. Indeed, he could pick up pencils. He could also do so somersaults. It was both the most amazing and funny thing I ever saw. I couldn't stop laughing.

Originally posted by Wotan

Originally posted by IntelRetard
More interesting are those born with webbed hands and feet)

I have two semi-webbed toes on each foot, so has my sister. My father has them on only one foot. My nephew has two fully webbed toes on each foot ........ New species HOMO-AQUATICUS

Actually that is theory of human evolution, that at one time humans lived in/around a water environment. The term is "the aquatic ape".

Here is a link if you are interested.

Cats that have extra toes (in the usa) are called American Polydactyl, I used to have several a long time ago. Some of them we had to have the extra digits removed, as they would grow sideways, and into the poor kitties other toes, and cripple them.

Sorry, I don't know much about humans who have extra digits and I am not sure what causes it. Though in regards to the webbing, I know several people in my family have "webbing" between our fingers and toes. I have small webbing between my pinkie fingers and ring fingers, and my toes have a bit of webbing, but not as much as others in my family.

I do know I am a great swimmer though, and have been swimming since I was approximately six weeks old. I have pictures of me swimming under water when I was tiny tiny. Mom said it was like I "just knew what to do", and as soon as she put me in the water, I held my breath and started swimming back and forth between her and my sister, bobbing up to take breaths.

Harm None
Peace

I know it's an old thread but.............

Both my parents have checked their parents and grandparents and have no cases of extra digits in their families.

My parents lived in Sheffield then moved and I was morn in Manchester in 1964. The Sellafield Nuclear disaster occurred in 1957 and allowed a massive amount of fallout to cover Britain.

I had an older brother who died with water on the brain and other issues (Hydrocephalus).
I can't remember him directly but am told I was born whilst he was alive. I also have an unexplainable fear of gross deformities but my younger siblings don't.

I was born with 12 fingers. My brother and sister have 10.

My sisters children all have 10.

My brothers children, 3 of them have 10 and the twin boys have 12 fully formed.

My daughter has 10 my son has 11.

So either my parents got nuked or it skipped a few generations before showing it self again and was natural!