Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 85.djvu/320

316 of the body weight, and in hereditary cataract only about one twentieth part of the lens becomes opaque, and yet this minute fraction of the body weight shows the influence of heredity. Even the size, shape and

number of the cells in certain organs, and in given embryonic stages, may be repeated generation after generation; and if our analysis were sufficiently complete we should doubtless find that even the minute parts of cells, such as nuclei, chromosomes and centrosomes, show individual peculiarities which are inherited.

(b) Teratological and Pathological Peculiarities are really only unusual or abnormal anatomical characters, but of such interest and importance as to deserve special mention. Many such abnormalities are undoubtedly inherited, among which are the following: polydactylism, in which more than the normal number of digits are present; syndactylism, or a condition of webbed fingers and toes; brachydactylism, in which the fingers are short and stumpy and usually contain less than the normal number of joints; acondroplasy, or short and crooked limbs, such as occur in certain breeds of dogs and sheep and in certain