The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-19
liz FEBRUARY MA6.tzINEs.
ssnIn AMI NEwN

..Dt =, 49,, -. .
ui. VI "Hoer, M u, we quoVe tle lol-
ng interesting particulars about the ex-
4 to which sexdieitism prevails in fami-
.r-e1 r-r..
refrain from iv,ng some very intarestino o
H. of Ar,orioa9 faniIioa and cnoto ;,,ataa99
n n most Instructive one detailed bv Dr
thers. who was the first to undertake n
cmatic study of these anomalies
ERThe great -ereat-erandmother Estber
(wbo married 4 7, N bad a s;vtb
finger on one hand Of tbair e;obtaan
|lren twelve dauohters and six sons9 onlv
(Charles) is known 70 have had G;o;tcI
etv. We have tha b;etorv ~ tbroa oFtbo
Andrev CborIos ard Ioroas y ''
Andrew had two sons1 THOMAS ond
rew: and Thomas had two sons. ali With.
lieital variety. - = Ia .dt7-T ~ -
James who was normal had two eo1o
seven daughters. also normal One of
daughters becama Mrs - ana had
daughters and Eve soma. all normal er-
one son. James Il. who had cir
rs on each hand.
Charles. the only son of Esther who
ligital variety. had six fingers ON zach
He had three sons. James. Thorras
John, all of whom were horn with siy
Rs on each hand. while John has aIso a
toe on one foot: all were amnu-
His nine other children were aIso
bal; 80 also were their children and
kgrandchildren. So also were the chill
of James and Thomas. and the latter's
lchildren. E
But John has a son who is normal and
e children also are normal. Johns
hter Jane was born with six fingers on
hand and six toes on each foot.
is case illustrates all the more import-
features of hereditary transmission.
The simple tendency to transmit
sme peculiarity from parent to child. as
Charles Il to his two sons James
homas. i
The tendency to Snternst,. or to re-
to the normal form; the peculiaritv
e over one or more generations. to re-
in q more distant one; as with James
and his daughter Mrs. j.. and
james. ..s-r
fThe tendency to Increase the extent of
culiarity in successive generations. in
the union of sexdieitists with ordi-
ve-fingered indiyiduals. EstherP -
ixth little finger upon one hand. her
b John had a sixtb toe in add;tion.
his daughter Jane had six finoers ,,non
, bnd and six toes upon each foot.
We notice the persistence of beredi-
hnsmission in spite of surgical intar-
y, even during the infancy of tha mar
ected, as in the case of Johns danob-
le. Removal of the extra dioit oanarsIIv
the subject (althouph NOT alwavs oer-
tly), but does not seem 10 prevent the
arance of the REGULARITY in succeed-
bneratiors. TT ia known also tbot
'docked" for many Generations without
Bhing those of their offspring. This
subject is q very curious one. and
us naturally to speculate as to the nos
moral, mental, and physical agencies
can produce peculiarly which comes
es, appears, disappears. and reappears
banner inexplicable upon any other
5 than the known tendency of all natr1-
sical characteristics to be transmitted
successive generations. ~
y well be asked-How do these facts
on the theory of the origin and trans
IN of species? especially since Darwin
ected quite a number of cases, and
ly regards them as favorable to his
s.
it cannot be denied that sexdig-
OF only runs in human families to
ful extent, but is even more persistent
some of the lower animals, as the cats
ance, which, in domestication at least,
b many generations. Nor do the extra
Aeem to incommode them at all, but
10 make them better climbers, and
able to handle mouse yet there is no
Zoe that the six-toed variety is be-
more numerous than the ordinary
even if the peculiarity should
for hundred generations, would
Pike new species, iu any sense of
fd? would the rest of the struc-
lange at all and should we not
n regard the varietv as a ranoarkehIu