Webbed toes?

To the editor:

Having been born in Wichita and having family around Sedgwick, Marion, Butler, and other counties, I have an inquiry which may sound offbeat but is totally sincere.

For generations, a branch of my family ancestry has had the trait of having webbed toes. It is not the big toe of the foot. It is the next two toes, connected together, usually about halfway upwards by skin or connective tissue.

A parent of mine had the trait, as did my grandmother and her siblings. My great-grandma didn’t have the trait, but her sister and her offspring did.

The trait itself is harmless, purely cosmetic, and barely noticed. I am just interested in contacting people with the trait in case they share any other genetic conditions of greater consequence.

Oddly enough, about 35 years ago, I made a few inquiries and found a cluster of respondents who shared a more serious condition. I won’t say what that was, for fear of skewing the results here.

Anyone with the trait is welcome to contact me at 1300 Greenbriar Dr, Longview TX 75604 or by email at rosehillks@yahoo.com.

Thank you in advance.

James A. Marples
Longview, Texas