The Doc's Stories

Six Fingers

Polydactyly is a fetal abnormality not uncommon in newborns. Although it sounds ominous, it is a very minor abnormality. Simply stated, there is an extra digit or more present on the hands or feet. Occurring commonly among dogs and cats, it may be as insignificant as a small skin tag that’s hardly noticeable, or it may be a fully formed digit. Our story will revolve around one such small digit causing large repercussions.

One evening my associate delivered a first-born child to a lovely young couple. It was immediately apparent that although perfect in every other way, this lovely child had an extra digit on each hand. My associate informed the parents of the problem, emphasizing the benign nature of the extra digit. He went on to say that this was frequently an inherited problem and that perhaps future children would likewise be over-endowed with digits. He told the couple that the following day his associate (me!) would remove the offending digit without difficulty.

The parents were reassured and the husband recollected that their good friend and neighbor Bill once said he was born with an extra finger. All was well, or so we thought.

I was making my rounds the following day, seeing the patients, giving discharge instructions, and doing essentially the usual, when I encountered a “disturbance.”  I entered the room of the young couple whose child was born with extra digits, and found them in the midst of an ever-increasing loud discussion. It seems that the husband came to visit that morning armed with a dozen roses and love in his heart. The wife greeted him with the words, ”I know you know about Bill, but it was only one time.” The husband was dumfounded and had no idea what she was saying. Undaunted, she blabbered on that she was sorry and that it only happened that once while he was on a business trip. The lights started to come on for the husband. His wife’s deathbed-like confession had been precipitated by the extra digits on the infant and the known history of extra digits on old Bill. She erroneously thought her husband had added up the obvious. He hadn’t, but her confession sealed their fates. The husband hurled the roses in her direction and almost knocked me down as he exited the room. Here I stood like a jerk with the permission form for me to remove the offending digits in hand! It was a pretty wild scene.

The following day was most interesting during visiting hours. We had a new dozen roses from good old Bill of the extra finger. He quietly visited and looked downright serene at the nursery window.

At the six-week post partum visit, I was the physician the young woman had chosen to see. After a normal physical exam we adjourned to my office to discuss personal issues. She quickly volunteered that she was now living at home with Mom and Dad. She needed birth control as her social life was somewhat interesting. Some nights her husband would come visiting, and some nights Bill would be the suitor. Believe me-you can’t make this stuff up!