The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-03-05
BY DIR. w. H. BALLOU,


Another type OF beautiful hand
rs that of Mrs. r. L. Ditmars.
small, with cadet" or Short fin
gers.
When a Washington scientist
saw the beautiful fingers illustrat-
ed, he smiled a wicked smile and
calmly announced that Mary
Nash's hands were evolved by a
ferocious.. amphibious reptile, a
monster that made life a terror
for whatever type Of reptiles eX-
listed 10000. 900 years ago. He add
g.. ed, that Mary's fingers and hands.
feet, toes and nails, had nothing
whatever on those Of our far-back
ancestor called Dlmetrodon, and
that he had Just finished mounting
the first known perfect skeleton
Of the creature to prove it.
When the Chinaman tells you
that whatever you show him was
In common use in Picking a thou
sand or more years ago, he is
merely Initiating the modern
paleontologist. who tells you there
has been nothing new in the ami
NAL line on earth for millions Of
years. All the skeletal changes
which have taken place in man
and his fellow creatures are mere
ly evolved improvements in tho
structure Of extinct amphibians
" and reptiles. ""''''
When u naturalist tells you that
human hands are Identical with
those OF most all other lower crea-
lures, he means the bony skeleton
beneath the skin, where the bones
and their joints are much alike.
The differences are largely exter-
nal, and have reference TO skin,
scales, claws, nails. etc. In each
species of animal there are mark
ed external appearances.
Otherwise the hands and feet.
fingers and toes have identical
bony or cartilaginous skeletons.
whether pertaining to man. whale.
fish fin. crocodile. or python snake,
with its rudimentary limbs con-
cealed under the skin. The whale
hand is concealed in the flipper.
The OK, the horse, etc, which eX-
ternally show hoofs. really have
the fingers and toes fused or rudi-
mentary.
FINS LIKE HANDS.
The skeleton of the fin Of the
fish Is Identical In appearance
with the hand Of man. AS fish
were formerly believed to have
evolved in water prior to reptiles,
they were supposed to have been
ancestral to man. Recently 1t has
been shown that there were al
ways four-limbed creatures In
water, creatures similar to mod
ern mud puppies, simultaneously
with first fish, SO we do not have
to take Off ancestry from the
finny ones. As q matter OF fact,
first fish had cartilage instead Of
bones, and cartilage and bono are
chemically two things.
While hands and fingers have
constantly been progressive, to
meet all tho demands for utility.
feet and toes have been degen-
Grating, at least Of mankind, toes
having useful little purpose to
servo On the contrary. toes have
been the Cause Of mans largest
irritahons.
The mumnios Of several thou
sand years ago, removed from
Egyptian sarcophagi, show toes
with large processes and knots.
supposed to have been caused by
gout- The modest corn is a good
tmftator Of the best Egyptian ir-
rftator. And. besides, toes inter-
fers with the attempt of modern
women to get tho largest foot into
the smallest shoe.
TOES TO DISAPPEAR.
So, affirm anatomists,. toes will
disappear from the human foot
during tho next million years.
Legs viii 20. too. If people con-
unus To ride In autos, air craft,
&C.. instead of walking.
Ons of tho most extraordinary
phenomenons Of nature was the
disappearance OF human-iike
hands and feet during fifteen or
moro million years. The extinct
smphibians, which preceded the
arrival Of true reptiles. were we'll
equipped with human.like hands
and fest. Tho succeeding reptiles
specialized In near flipper- FOR