Talk:Supernumerary body part

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An entry from Supernumerary body part appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 11 July 2006.

Is it really correct to call this a "disorder"? I know in some cases it may be so, but in others it would be either neutral or even beneficial (e.g. having six fingers on each hand would make me a better pianist). Cheers — SteveRwanda 08:55, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Most people with a supernumerary body part are treated at an early age, polydactyly included. Some people do make the most of it, as per your example, and in those cases I agree that it would not be seen by them as a disorder, but medically it still is. violet/riga (t) 09:47, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

OK thanks for replying. I think the situation I mentioned occurred in the film Gattaca actually, but the pianist had to keep his six fingers a massive secret as all genetic misfits were automatically locked up. — SteveRwanda 09:52, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I remember that now. Looking at List of polydactyl people, one person that claims an advantage is Eric Bristow, who says it helps with his balance. violet/riga (t) 10:02, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Genghis Kahn

The article on Genghis Kahn mentions nothing about extra parts. Scoutersig 21:17, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Indeed not. violet/riga (t) 21:33, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Zoology vs. Botany

Someone just added a picture of a double tomato to the page. I assume supernumerary body part applies only to members of the animal kingdom (including humans), and that there would be another term for a similar syndrome amongst plants, etc. Could anyone confirm or deny this? samwaltz 08:44, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, that picture came as something as a surprise to me! The body plan article refers to botanical lifeforms too, so perhaps "supernumerary body part" could be used for plants as well as animals, but I really don't know at this moment. I'll have a look into it. violet/riga (t) 15:44, 12 July 2006 (UTC)