Page 10 of The Bone Code
“Stunted?”
“Children with SRS tend to have high foreheads, small jaws, and triangular faces. But those features become less obvious with age.”
“Uh-huh.”
“There’s no specific radiological indicator of SRS. However, delayed bone age, clinodactyly, and fifth middle or distal phalangeal hypoplasia have been reported as suggestive of the syndrome.” Speaking über-slowly and purposely using medical jargon.
“What the hell’s that mean?”
“They are features that can be seen on X-rays. Which is what I had to work with and which is objective evidence. Clinodactyly refers to the abnormal curvature of a digit. Hypoplasia refers to the underdevelopment of a body part, in this case, of portions of the little finger.”
“Tereza had all that?”
“She did.”
“How’s this relevant?”
“It can explain her extremely short stature.”
“Short stature in adults?”
“Yes. Especially if growth abnormalities aren’t treated postnatally.”
“Likethatwould have happened in Bulgaria. How common is this SRS?”
“Stats put the occurrence somewhere between one in three thousand and one in one hundred thousand births.”
“That’s about as useful as a tit on a nun.”
Unable to disagree, I didn’t respond.
“You said congenital. This thing’s inherited?”
“Yes. But the genetics are unclear. Autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked inheritance models have been reported, but without going into—”
“Yeah, don’t.”
Having had my fill of Thorn’s abrasive manner, I did.
“It’s thought that loci—think genes—on chromosome eleven play a major role in SRS. But chromosome seven may also—”
“You’re saying Tereza was a dwarf because of wonky genes.”
“I wouldn’t put it in quite those words.” Wondering precisely where this jerkdidgo to law school.
“So she was an adult, not a kid. In her twenties.”
“Yes.”
“Not fuckin’ fifteen.”
Definitely not Harvard.
“You’re gonna put all this on paper?”
“I’ll send a full report.”
“When?”
