The News Herald

A WEB-FOOTED MAN.

His Fingers Also Were Joined Together Like a Goose's Toes.

A remarkable operation was recently performed at the Pennsylvania hospital upon Pedro Galan, a Mexican sailor lad, to whom nature had given fingers and toes joined by a web similar to that of a duck. Galan, says the Philadelphia Record, is about eighteen years of age, and last winter he arrived at this port as a cabin boy, afflicted with this curious deformity. At the time he suffered from pneumonia, and became at once an object of interest to the hospital doctors. It was noticed that he had six fingers on each hand, joined by a web, and seven toes on his right foot and six toes on his left foot, joined by a web.

The nails of Galan's toes are decidedly peculiar, and at first sight he appears to have three distinct nails, as the nails of his toes have two ridges. His large toe on each foot is about two and one-half inches in width.

Such was the strange patient that enlisted the sympathies of the doctors. Galan was the first to speak of his peculiarity, and he requested that he might be operated upon. His left hand was operated on in July last, and then Galan pluckily requested that his right hand should be attended to.

The hospital physician went to work on the patient's right hand, and cut the web between the fingers and then sewed up the ragged edges of the web.

It has not been determined to operate on Galan's feet at present, and probably when he does leave the hospital his feet will remain in what assuredly is their natural condition. Galan will remain at the hospital some time yet, and is a handy man in the wards. In appearance he resembles an Indian, and is very much pleased with his life in Pennsylvania so far. Already photographs have been taken of his feet, and the pictures have been viewed with interest by the medical men to whom they have been submitted.