On sireniform monsters, with a consideration of the causation and the predominance of the male sex among them

Abstract

FOCrR B'IGCKERr)erelopmental malformatioiis a i d monstrosities remain sourccs of ncrew-failing interest. R y the ancients they ~e i * c 1 eyed as products of the supcmiatural; to the naive mind of yesterday they gave full scope to all sorts of sinistcr speculations, arid t o the biologist of to-day they shed light into the hidden factors ant1 laws of genesis and growth. That emhryologival freaks contributcd their part in peopling the realm of mythology with fanciful creatures is evident ; quit(. as intelligilde that the Western mind of the misnamed Dark Age, hcmmctl i i i by the ~i a r r o w horizoiis of a nascent culture, should openly or surreptitiously accuse tlie woman who was iiiifortmiate enough to give hirth to a misshapen child of Iiariiig lwei1 visited hy an iiicul.)us. When hcr fruit assumed t lie deformity here pictured ( fig. 1), what was i i e a n r than to iiisiliiiatc shc had llt too familiar with a merman, or, wheii gossip a i i t l superst ition hecamc lcss malevolent, to sap that a triton had friglitened her iii her tlrcams ! ('oiisideriiig the impressioii which the sireiiomclian monster would makc. on the popular mind, it is strange that Aristotlc ( l o w I i o t list it iii liis fairly cxteiisive catalogne of monsti'osities givcii in his treatise " 0 1 i the generation of animals. ' ' This iii(1icates its relative infrequeiicy. The credulous and \.olul)le I'liny, on tlie other hiiiid, repeats tlie sailors ' ?-ar11 that somc~whci~c iiear 11 lalid of tlie troglodyt cs tliclrv > O N SIKEN1FOF;XI MONSTEHS 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 ON SIRENIFORM MONSTERS

Caudal dysgenesis and sirenomelia‐single centre experience suggests common pathogenic basis

“…The occurrence of the sirenomelic malformation with normal umbilical arteries renders the vascular steal theory somewhat untenable. The sirenomelic umbilical artery is thought to be a persistent vitelline artery remnant presumably due to the lack of normal caudal arterial development to form umbilical arteries [Ballantyne, 1904;Kampmeier, 1927;Davies et al, 1971;Kapur et al, 1991].…”

Molecular genetic cascades for external genitalia formation: An emerging organogenesis program

“…Sirenomelia is a human developmental cloacal malformation characterized by the fusion of both hindlimbs (Kampmeier, 1927;Hoornbeek, 1970). Although Sirenomelia has variable phenotypes with multiple causes, it is intriguing to consider the mechanisms of dysgenesis possibly related to the cloacal field in between the hindlimbs.…”

From Small Pelvic Outlet Syndrome to Sirenomelia

“…This rare disorder is characterized by various forms of fusion of the lower limbs at their fibular margins and other major anomalies of the type seen in SPOS including imperforate anus, absent or rudimentary kidneys, and absent or hypoplastic ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra (5)(6)(7)(8)(9).…”