Because of the paucity of written records, the scope of Celtic settlement across Europe has not been easy to establish. One feature already mentioned that is strongly associated with Celtic blood lines is red hair; a great majority of people in the world who have red hair will be found to have a Celtic ancestor. But that feature is not uniquely associated with the Celts, so the spread of Celtic people in such areas as present-day Germany and Scandinavia has not been accepted by all authorities. During World War II, a discovery was made that only recently has received meticulous research. A couple of doctors in medical centers in England noticed that there was a feature of Scots and Welsh soldiers wounded in battle that was not present with English, Germans, and other nationalities. The former frequently had a big toe (or great toe) that was the same length as the next toe; all others had great toes markedly longer. They marked that down for research after the war ended, but it was only a few years ago that definitive research was done that has led to a remarkable discovery. They found that there were burial sites across Britain where the skeletons were completely of one ethnic group, such as Celtic burial sites on islands along the Scottish northwest coast, and pre-Celtic burial sites in southern England. Results from studies of those burial sites showed that to a 95 probability Celtic remains had a big toe the same length as, or shorter than, the next toe, while pre-Celtic remains had a big toe longer than the one next to it. That study was expanded to cover burial sites in other parts of Europe and Asia, with the same results. Because the so-called Celtic toe can disappear after many generations of intermarriage, it is not a necessary condition to having a Celtic ancestor, but it is a sufficient one: if a person has the Celtic toe, he or she is almost certain to be of Celtic descent.
That discovery should allow a much better mapping of the extent of Celtic settlement across Europe. The Celtic toe has been found in abundance in southern and central Germany and across western and central Scandinavia. It has been found in present-day descendants of the Dutch Boers who settled in South Africa over a hundred years ago; the only source of that gene is from the Celtic Dutch of two thousand years ago. It could be used to map the Scottish migration route from the central Atlantic down through the Carolinas and into Georgia in the 1700s. https://www.electricscotland.com/fami...2002/celts.htm
I have ancestors from Pontypool, Wales and Paisley, Scotland.
Also called Morton's Toe, not to be confused with Morton's Neuroma.
Quote:
Morton's toe
Morton's toe is the common term for the second toe (second from innermost) being longer than the great toe (Hallux).
The name derives from American orthopaedic surgeon Dudley Joy Morton (1884-1960), who originally described it as part of Morton's triad (a.k.a Morton's syndrome or Morton's foot syndrome): a congenital short first metatarsal bone, a hypermobile first metatarsal segment, and calluses under the second and third metatarsals.
Although commonly described as a disorder, it is sufficiently common to be considered a normal variant of foot shape (its prevalence varies with different populations, but around 10% of feet worldwide have this form). In shoe-wearing cultures it can be problematic: for instance, in causing nail problems from wearing shoes with a profile that doesn't accommodate the longer second toe.
It has a long association with disputed anthropological and ethnic interpretations. Morton called it Metatarsus atavicus, considering it an atavism recalling prehuman grasping toes. In statuary and shoe fitting it has been called the Greek foot (as opposed to the Egyptian foot, where the great toe is longer). It was an idealised form in Greek sculpture, and this persisted as an aesthetic standard through Roman and Renaissance periods and later (the Statue of Liberty has toes of this proportion). The French call it pied ancestral or pied de N�anderthal[1].
Confusion has arisen from the term also sometimes being used for a different condition, Morton's neuroma, a term coined by Thomas George Morton (1835-1903) for a syndrome involving pain caused by neuroma between the third and fourth toes.
My 2nd toe is only slightly longer than my big toe, but it usually is the toe that bumps the front of my shoes. I also have Morton's Neuroma, but that condition is caused by wearing too tight or too narrow toed shoes. I relieve my Morton's neuroma pain by wearing roomy sandals or clogs, which allow my toes to spraddle out.
Last edited by Iggy Dalrymple; 12-26-2007 at 05:27 PM.
Reason: added link to 1st quote
Also called Morton's Toe, not to be confused with Morton's Neuroma.
My 2nd toe is only slightly longer than my big toe, but it usually is the toe that bumps the front of my shoes. I also have Morton's Neuroma, but that condition is caused by wearing too tight or too narrow toed shoes. I relieve my Morton's neuroma pain by wearing roomy sandals or clogs, which allow my toes to spraddle out.
wow... this makes so much sense.
I don't have this.. but I will have to take closer look at my son's feet. He jogs (irregularly).. so, the type of shoe might be much more important for him than me.
I just took a look at the shoe I wear to run. It is Nike Free.. nice rounded toe. very comfortable:
Aha! I have Celtic Toe.
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