THE BROAD THUMB and great toe syndrome was first reported by Rubinstein and Tabyi in 1963.1 In a series of seven children they observed broad thumbs and great toes, psychomotor retardation, unusual facial features, high arched palates, and histories of respiratory infections. Six more children who had similar anomalies were described in 1964 by Coffin.2 Recently, in describing two additional cases, Robinson et al3 drew attention to a new finding, a pattern of the dermal ridges in the thenar/first interdigital (thenar/Int I) area of at least one hand. Because patterns in this area are normally rare, it was decided to examine the dermatoglyphics of a larger series.
Material
The material for the present study comprises prints from 19 individuals: the two patients reported by Robinson et al, nine patients of Dr. Rubinstein in Cincinnati, five patients from Dr. Coffin in Sonoma, Calif, two patients from the Rainier