# Extra Finger **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 5, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066 "2006-02-05T03:49:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/21 "2006-02-05T12:25:40Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > We are due to have a child in a couple days. The due date is Feb 6th. > An early ultrasound indicated a possablility of an extra finger. > What do you think we should do about this? If the finger is functional, leave it be. If it’s nonfunctional, or its position is interfering with the use of that hand, then definitely consider removing it. Whatever happens, _do not_ allow eager doctors to rush you into surgery. An extra finger in and of itself is not life-threatening, after all. I wouldn’t want a child of mine subjected to surgery simply because someone else thinks that people who look different should be surgified into an arbitrary standard of “normal”, even if that person has a bucketload of degrees after his or her name. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/22 "2006-02-05T14:04:46Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Whatever happens, _do not_ allow eager doctors to rush you into surgery. An extra finger in and of itself is not life-threatening, after all. I wouldn’t want a child of mine subjected to surgery simply because someone else thinks that people who look different should be surgified into an arbitrary standard of “normal”, even if that person has a bucketload of degrees after his or her name. Arbitrary standards of normal? We’re talking an extra finger, not small breasts. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/23 "2006-02-05T16:45:50Z")
> [@Silentgoldfish](#): > > Arbitrary standards of normal? We’re talking an extra finger, not small breasts. A functional extra finger is pretty minor in the overall scheme of things, and in my opnion (that is the name of the forum, right? “In My Humble Opinion”?) is about as debilitating/deforming as being left handed, having a prominent hooked nose, unusually large ears, or yes, unusually small breasts in a woman. It’s unusual and statistically abnormal, but it’s not something I feel justifies a rush to surgery and “fixing” the kid. I’m also against routine circumcism and piercing the ears of infants - permanent alteration of the body of someone who is unable to give consent is just not OK in my ethics, not without some very strong justification. As I also said, if there is a _functional_ problem surgery might be entirely justified, but even then, there’s not a hurry. However, for normal (if overabundant) bodyparts I don’t feel the benefits outweigh the risks. Later in life, when the child grows up and is able to express his/her personal wishes then it’s time to talk about what would be, for a functional extra digit, cosmetic surgery. Not everyone with polydactyly _wants_ to be “fixed”, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/24 "2006-02-05T17:07:00Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > A functional extra finger is pretty minor in the overall scheme of things, and in my opnion (that is the name of the forum, right? “In My Humble Opinion”?) is about as debilitating/deforming as being left handed, having a prominent hooked nose, unusually large ears, or yes, unusually small breasts in a woman. It’s unusual and statistically abnormal, but it’s not something I feel justifies a rush to surgery and “fixing” the kid. Except it’s an extra finger. So more like a third ear, a second nose or a third breast. It’s really apples and oranges as far as cosmetic surgery goes. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/25 "2006-02-05T17:32:10Z")
I knew a girl in high school who had six functioning fingers on _each_ hand. She seemed to like it, and the rest of us thought it was really awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/26 "2006-02-05T17:46:19Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > More about the syndromes assocaited with polydactyly: **cerberus** , would you please cite your source, and assure me that this lengthy post is not a copyright violation? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/27 "2006-02-05T18:59:38Z")
_Guitar Player_ magazine once had a picture on the cover of bluesman Hound Dog Taylor’s six-fingered hand. I suppose he could play things nobody else could play. Polydactylity could well be a gift, not a defect. Not many people can tick off January through December on their fingers without starting over at November. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/28 "2006-02-05T19:02:37Z")
If it’s a functioning finger, I would leave it alone. Just make sure there are no underlying DNA issues, and don’t let the doctors convince you surgery is needed to make the child “normal.” Cosmetic surgery of this nature – in other words, surgery performed in the absence of a real problem – should wait until your child is able to express his own feelings about what he is most comfortable with. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/29 "2006-02-05T19:45:46Z")
My vote is with the “if functional, let it be” group. It’s not at all uncommon among cats. ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/30 "2006-02-05T20:07:09Z")
Another vote for let it be if it’s functional, and doesn’t interfere with his development. It’s his finger, after all, and if it’s not hurting him, he should have a say in what happens to it. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/31 "2006-02-05T20:21:54Z")
Yet another for leave it alone if it ain’t hurting anything–diversity is fun! ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/32 "2006-02-05T20:42:34Z")
It’s a mix of Googlefu searches. I’m not aware of any copyright infringement, as the bulk of such information is available as information from medical advocacy sites. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/33 "2006-02-05T21:44:21Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > It’s a mix of Googlefu searches. I’m not aware of any copyright infringement, as the bulk of such information is available as information from medical advocacy sites. In general, web sites copyright their contents. For this time, I’ll assume it’s fair use, especially since you used the plural, but in future for this sort of thing, please provide the links to the sites from which you pull the information. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/34 "2006-02-05T21:51:38Z")
Another vote for keeping the extra finger if its functional. If it doesn’t work and interferes with normal function, then I’d consider removal. Incidentally, am I the only one who squirmed after reading this part of **cerberus** ’ link? > [@](#): > > Rudimentary digits are generally removed. _Simply tying a tight string around the stalk can cause it to fall off in time._ (emphasis mine) I’m having flashbacks of the “Handi-Off” commercial from SNL. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/35 "2006-02-05T22:16:24Z")
Affirmative on the sources. Yes, the tourniquet approach to “amputation lite” is a bit creepy, bu I suppose it’s better than garden shears… snip snip snip The real issue with polydactyly isn’t so much the social implications of being different, but rather the role of polydactyly as a potential marker for serious birth defects. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/36 "2006-02-05T22:30:33Z")
So what kind of gift do you give to a kid with 6 fingers?😕 Firecrackers!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/37 "2006-02-05T23:11:04Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Don’t name him Rugen I’d consider [Antonio.](http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player_gallery/player_gallery.html?110134) [Look closely. He’s got 12 and 12, all told.] ---
**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/38 "2006-02-05T23:55:20Z")
I’d like to expand on my thoughts on necessary vs elective surgeries: One of my children has undergone 3 major surgeries: The first, at 4 months of age, was open-heart surgery to fix her heart (she was born with multiple deformities of the heart which would have killed her eventually. But they put it off as long as they could, until her health began to fail). She later had a G-tube placed at 6 months of age, and a nissen fundoplication/pyloroplasty done at 15 months of age. All of these were absolutely necessary to sustain life or quantifiable quality of life. Today, she is a healthy child with a lot of scars. We _had_ to submit her to the surgeries, or lose her, or subject her to a life so miserable it would have been almost impossible for her to be normal or healthy I am not opposed to necessary surgeries, and we understood the risks inherent to general anaesthesia, not to mention possible long term side-effects of the surgeries themselves (fundoplication itself can cause long-term retching and gagging, decreased motility, and the inability to belch up excess gas). In our case, it was not hard to choose surgery, because we no other realistic choice. But anaesthesia is dangerous for babies. This is why they try not to do surgery on babies unless it’s unavoidable. And this is why routine infant circumcision, which by any objective scientific standard of measure (like cortisol levels in the blood) is excrutiatingly painful, is done without anaesthesia at all, or at best with a local block which is only partially effective. This is for the child’s safety. But clearly the child would be safer not cut at all - and that’s not even taking into consideration the risk from hospital-acquired drug-resistant infection. And, to expand on my objection to even the “minor” body alteration of ear-piercing, I’ve HAD my ears pierced, multiple times (6 each ear). I know exactly how painful it is. And while ‘gun’-piercing is faster and less painful than needle-piercing, it’s also known to carry more risk of infection. I wound up with recurrent infections in my cartilege piercings, so nasty that I had to take systemic antibiotics, and let the holes healed closed. As an adult I can choose to accept those risks to my health. I _will_ not subject my children to those risks (or myself, anymore, geez). When they are old enough to choose those risks for themselves, in full understanding of all possible ramifications…they can make that choice. Their bodies; their choice. Not mine. I realise this isn’t strictly about the concept of a hand that’s “different”, but on a meta level, one cosmetic body modification is much like another. I would not subject a child to cosmetic body modification of this sort. For something affecting life or quality of life (cleft lip or palate, fused skull bones, heart defect, digestive tract or other organ defect, club foot that will affect normal walking, etc) then you weigh the advantages against the risks, grit your teeth, and pray a lot. I hope the OP’s baby will be just fine. After all, ultrasounds can be inaccurate. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/39 "2006-02-06T01:13:56Z")
My cousin’s baby had an extra digit. What was interesting about her case is that no one noticed at first–the old saw about “counting fingers and toes” doesn’t apply, I guess. No one noticed until she was home from the hospital. Anyway, she had it removed, and as I recall it was no big deal. As others have said, it must depend on what sort of extra digit it is. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066/40 "2006-02-06T01:33:30Z")
Eh. I’d leave it. I doubt insurance would cover the removal (likely to be cosmetic), and there is unlikely to be a compelling medical reason to put your infant through a nasty anasthesia experience. Take a tip from Microsloth and consider it a feature rather than a bug. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-finger/343066.md?page=3)