The Strange Case of the Woman with a Breast on her Foot

<Yes, that is a nipple. This is from PZ Myer's blog, Pharyngula>


http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/03/the_strange_case_of_the_woman.php


Category: Development • Weirdness
Posted on: March 13, 2007 2:00 PM, by PZ Myers
pseudomamma.jpg

Stevie C sent along this article on An unusual presentation of supernumerary breast tissue (just what were you googling for, Stevie?), in which a woman reports an annoying growth on her foot, and when examined, is discovered to have a breast growing there, complete with nipple and fatty tissue (but in this case, no glandular tissue).

It's in the Dermatology Online Journal, not the Onion.

I hadn't heard of this before myself, but it's fascinating. These supernumerary breasts can pop up all over the place, including the face, back, and thigh (and foot, obviously). They can be functionally complete, and can even lactate. The authors report some weak and sometimes contradicted associations with other oddities, but no causal mechanism is known. These cases of autonomous self-organization and recruitment of organs are extremely interesting—it suggests that a breast would be a fairly easy tissue to grow in a dish. I'd love to know what the molecular signal for initiating differentiation—I suspect it's something simple and common.

An extra nipple was considered proof that someone was a witch.

O8)

:o

Yes, they do!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I like that about you.

an Ass man :D

I should start writing a grant. :P

And a dandruff problem.

I had no idea if the guy who told me that was pulling my chain. Hmm.

never mind.

:evilgrin:

Really, the distribution of physical attributes is so unfair. Here I barely have the two standard breasts, and this woman has a completely superfluous one on the bottom of her foot. :(

sure honey, I love giving you foot massages :evilgrin:

:smug:

when she gets excited, I wonder....