If this were your child, would you have the extra removed?
I think, since they are functional, I would leave them.


Baby Born In Bay Area With 12 Functioning Fingers, 12 Toes (http://www.ktvu.com/news/18608582/detail.html#-)

DALY CITY, Calif. -- A Daly City couple is beaming after becoming the proud parents of a healthy but incredibly rare baby boy this month.

Baby Kamani Hubbard has six-fully formed and functional fingers and toes on his hands and feet. It's called “polydactyly” -- extra digits -- not an uncommon genetic trait, but Bay Area doctors say they've never seen a case so remarkable.

Born at San Francisco's Saint Luke's Hospital three weeks ago, Hubbarb seemed so perfect at birth no one noticed.

“Nurses and doctors, looked so normal they couldn't tell, they told me he was six pounds in good health, that was all they said,” said Miryoki Gross, Hubbard’s mother.

But his dad Kris Hubbard noticed this spectacularly rare case of polydactyly: 6-perfect fingers on each hand and 6-perfect toes on each foot, which went well beyond a general trait that runs in his family.

“Some family member have had six fingers, not completely developed. But not the toes,” said Kris Hubbard, 34 and a postal worker.

In fact Kris Hubbard himself had nubs of sixth fingers removed as a child as these non-functional digits routinely are.

But Hubbards case is so vanishingly rare according to doctors, and because the extra digits are functional, it's not a deformity to be discarded.

“It's merely an interesting and beautiful variation rather than a worrisome thing,” said Dr. Michael Treece and St. Luke's Hospital Pediatrician. “I would be tempted to leave those fingers in place. I realize children would tease each other over the slightest things, and having extra digits on each hand is more than slight. But imagine what sort of a pianist a 12-fingered person would be imagine what sort of a flamenco guitarist, if nothing else think of their typing skills.”

Kamani's mother says she hasn't had time to absorb this; her baby's specialness didn't even show up on prenatal ultrasounds.

“ I heard nothing before I gave birth so I'm still in shock, kinda,” said Gross.

“I just want him to see what greatness will be in store for him,” said Kris Hubbard.

The Florida Marlins’s pitcher Antonio Alfonseca, blues guitarist Hound Dog Taylor and several remarkable figures in history have had polydactyly.

This little guy may, at the very least, help others grasp the importance of embracing difference.

unless you have lived it you have no idea how cruel people can be in regards to certain birth defects.

if i were the parent i would have it removed ASAP.

Perhaps removal of the toes would be a thing to think about but fingers , that's another story.

Depends. If they look natural I may decide to leave them on.

The Pediatrician calls it " an interesting & beautiful variation". What a wonderful description. I hope the parents try as much as possible to allow the child to grow into adulthood with the extra digits when he can make the decision to remove on his own. All the while I hope that whenever he is despondent over the teasing and taunting he'll receive from his peers, that the parents remind him of what the doctor said in that interview.

Not unless my child said that they wanted them removed, other than that it's not really my call.

The Pediatrician calls it " an interesting & beautiful variation". What a wonderful description. ....

Agreed! :bravo:
They are fully functional, not just flaps of extra skin.
A part of me always wonders if its evolution at work and we would be surgically altering it.

unless you have lived it you have no idea how cruel people can be in regards to certain birth defects....

But maybe its not a defect

if it fully functional its not really a defect, at best its an "abnormality", advantages even, like people that get a third set of teeth (useful if you had f**k up your "permanent" or "adult" teeth) or women born with tetrachromatic vision. Only time will tell if he can in bid his progeny with fully function extra digits or if its just a lucky fluke.

Oh and f**k the kids that make fun of him, kids will be kids they always pick on each other no matter what, they are rotten horrible creatures and I pity anyone that has them.

I know if I had been born with extra functioning fingers I would DEFINITELY rather keep them! I would be one hell of a metal guitarist with 12 fingers. Extra fingers to solo with would be really cool, and useful.

Like other people said, if they are functional, it is not a defect.

F**k what other kids think. If I have a polydactyl kid he/she will be hearing a lot about how I love and am proud of him/her, and any kid who taunts or bullies mine will be cooked in my microwave while still alive and convulsing, while I and my kid watch and laugh.

(Sorry for the hyperbole...I have an issue with bullies...)

If the kid actually wanted them removed, of course I would have it done, otherwise, no.

Fetus, what is tetrachromatic vision? Can women with this condition see colours the rest of us can't? Why only women?

I am wondering about gloves and shoes. I suppose he's stuck with mittens and extra wide shoes.

I am relieved to see that everyone so far voted 'No, leave em.'

I watched the video now. I must say it looks perfectly natural. So I'd leave them. It would look weird if they removed a finger..
The baby's hands do look (well they are) large though.

Also, I think he has two middle fingers :D

I know if I had been born with extra functioning fingers I would DEFINITELY rather keep them! I would be one hell of a metal guitarist with 12 fingers. Extra fingers to solo with would be really cool, and useful.

Ah f**k yeah. Did you ever see Gataca?

Fetus, what is tetrachromatic vision? Can women with this condition see colours the rest of us can't? Why only women?

Here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy#Possibility_of_human_tetrachromats

I knew of tetrachromacy in birds, but didn't know it could happen in humans. That's a really cool finding. I wonder how x-chromosome deactivation interferes with that- are there women that would have tetrachromacy, but don't, do to that X-chromosome being turned off?

I think that child's hands look really cute. He should definitely be let alone unless he wants them removed when he's older.

Anyone seen that episode in Season 5 of the X files, where those quadruplet sisters were born with 6 fingers? Their hands looked weird, but very pretty, even feminine....long and delicate and arachnid-like...

Ah f**k yeah. Did you ever see Gataca?



Here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy#Possibility_of_human_tetrachromats

I knew of tetrachromacy in birds, but didn't know it could happen in humans. That's a really cool finding. I wonder how x-chromosome deactivation interferes with that- are there women that would have tetrachromacy, but don't, do to that X-chromosome being turned off?

That sounds awesome. Damn, I want tetrachromatic vision. :D

That sounds awesome. Damn, I want vision. :D

They tested 14 mothers of colour blind sons. They supposedly found 2 who were tetrachromatic.
My dad was colour blind. Now I wonder about my Grandma

I know someone with twelve fingers. They are aligned perfectly with the others [just like this baby] and unless you're especially observant, you'd miss them. Never seen his toes, so I don't know if he has twelve toes.

I know someone with twelve fingers. They are aligned perfectly with the others [just like this baby] and unless you're especially observant, you'd miss them. Never seen his toes, so I don't know if he has twelve toes.

Yeah, this baby's extra digits were missed in the delivery room. The Dda was the first to notice.

Oh, umm, can you ask him about the toes? :D Or buy him a pair of sandals.

Fetus, what is tetrachromatic vision? Can women with this condition see colours the rest of us can't? Why only women?

To be accurate most birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish see in 4 colors: red, green, blue and near UV. Most mammals only see in two colors: red and blue, only apes and hominids see in 3 colors. And no x-chromosome deactivation does no affect gene like the color receptor pigments, or else color blindness rates would be the same in women.

I'd love to be able to see UV light.

Yes it would be intresting, but UV and more prominently IR photography are a wonderful facsimile.

http://www.photos-of-the-year.com/articles/colour-ir/2.jpg

Wow, IR makes everything very wintery eh?

Agreed! :bravo:
They are fully functional, not just flaps of extra skin.
A part of me always wonders if its evolution at work and we would be surgically altering it.

You aren't going to alter his DNA by lopping them off.

And this isn't evolution at work. It is mutation at work. In order for this allele to increase in the gene pool, this guy would have to have some advantage that led to increased reproductivity. Since his popularity is going to be offset by his creepiness, this might have a negative impact on the allele.

The religion gene is probably the only thing having a major impact on evolution right now. Atheists keep aborting and religious people keep having 12 kids, sometimes 6 or 8 of them at a time. An extra digit can't match religious devotion.

[QUOTE=swivel;2157209]...And this isn't evolution at work. It is mutation at work. In order for this allele to increase in the gene pool, this guy would have to have some advantage that led to increased reproductivity...../QUOTE]

Wha??? Evolution is all about mutations. And in a world of computers adn keyboards, how do you know extra fingers aren't about attracting a mate?
Thousands of years ago, extra kingers could have been about throwing a spear better, but that kid was killed at birth for being different.