Re: Polymastia, polythelia


"Joe Cummings" <joecummings@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:qkpih19p3688l8ve1raq58epg90gj9e278@xxxxxxxxxx
>
> These words describe the existence of multiple breasts or
> nipples in human beings.
>
> Sometimes they occur in a line descending from the breast, or
> sometimes they occur in the axilla.
>
> A figure of 10% incidence has been quoted.
>
> From an evolutionary standpoint, these can be described as
> atavisms.
>
> Now, I'm willing to bet a bright new shilling (or would if I
> could find one) that there isn't a creationist or ID explanation for
> them.
>
Now, it seems to me that these aren't actually cases of evolution suddenly
reversing itself, so that a child is born at some previous stage along her
evolutionary pathway to humanity. Rather, polymastia and polythelia are
developmental eccentricities, in which the same embryological pathways that
all humans follow turn up unusual results. But the fact that we share
developmental pathways with mammals that have multiple pairs of mammary
glands is not more surprising than, e.g. the idea that we share pseudogenes
and endogenous retroviruses and a plantaris tendon with apes and monkeys.
"Common design" covers a multitude of embarrassing evidence, and multiple
nipples about as well as anything else.
>
> Any takers?
>
-- Steven J.


.