Meromelia is a birth defect characterized by the lacking of a part, but not all, of one or more limbs with the presence of a hand or foot. It results in a shrunken and deformed extremity.
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Cause
Such defects are caused mainly by genetic factors, but some teratogenic (or environmental) factors have been identified, such as the use of thalidomide in the 1957-62 for morning-sickness (nausea).
Etymology
Gk, meros ("part") + melia ("limb")
References
Meromelia Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA