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Iowa State University Veterinarian: Volume 27, Issue 2
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Polydactylia, the presence of supernumery digits on the leg, has been reported in the world literature. However, since it is not often seen, we felt it would be of interest to report a case brought to the I.S.U. Veterinary Clinic.
"The future of the veterinary profession" is a favorite topic of discussion among veterinarians today. Numerous articles on this subject appear in the professional journals and learned speakers expound upon this theme at meetings, conferences and conventions. It is a timely topic, filled with an equal mixture of unbounded enthusiasm and dejected pessimism. We know that change is taking place and we are certain that the future will bring drastic revisions in the profession's "way of life".
The terminology concerning defects or abnormalities in cattle can render confusion if there is a not a distinction between the adjectives congenital and hereditable. The word congenital is derived from the Latin words con and genitalis. Con means with or together and genitalis means to beget or reproduction. Thus the word congenital describes those conditions which are present at birth as a result of the developmental process.