How Do They Do It?

Polydactylism:  webbed toes and fingers, an extra digit on hand(s) or extra toe.  Genetic malfunction.  Found heavily in the Amish.


Okay, the first time I saw anything like this was when I was a young child.  Our cat had 6 toes on each foot.  I thought it was cool...until I took a genetics class at Penn State and saw a photo of an Amish boy with 6 digits on his left hand.  I can still see his smile as he waved goodbye to the milk truck.


For years, every time I would go to the Amish Market I would secretly be looking...for just one.  There was something within me that NEEDED to see someone with 6 fingers.  But a few days ago I read an article (not a random article, I actually looked the whole topic up again) that listed others than the Amish who also had this genetic happening.


List of some of the Polydactylics (probably not a real word) that you may have heard of:
Gemma Aterton (actress): extra digits
Antonio Alfonseca (baseball player):  extra finger and toe on each hand and foot
Ashton Kutcher (actor):  webbed toes
It was once thought that Marilyn Monroe had an extra toe due to a photograph of her on a beach, but was later moved into the 'myth' category because it was actually proven to be a lighting issue.


No wonder the Amish can get their chores done in record time!
Note To Self:  Stop obsessing over this topic!