Accessory breast 2581217 220058885 2008-06-18T02:30:28Z 121.210.213.64 /* In popular culture and fiction */ {{DiseaseDisorder infobox | Name = Accessory breast | ICD10 = {{ICD10|Q|83|1|q|80}} | ICD9 = {{ICD9|757.6}} | ICDO = | Image = | Caption = | OMIM = 163700 | MedlinePlus = | eMedicineSubj = derm | eMedicineTopic = 735 | DiseasesDB = | }} '''Accessory breasts''', also known as '''polymastia''', '''supernumerary breasts''', or '''mammae erraticae''', is the condition of having an [[supernumerary body part|additional]] [[breast]]. Extra breasts may appear with or without [[nipple]]s or [[areola]]e. A related condition, in which extra nipples form, is called "[[supernumerary nipple]]" or "polythelia". ==Causes== It was once believed that polymastia results from the eruption of extra breasts along the [[milk line]] during embryonic development. However, this theory is not generally believed today and cannot account for the appearance of nipples that do not correspond to the milk line's pathway.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/410464_2 |title=Medscape |accessdate=2007-12-03 |format= |work=}}</ref> In unusual cases, extra breasts may appear on the buttock, the back of the neck, the face, the upper arm, the shoulder, the hip, or the back. In one case one developed on the underside of a woman's foot.<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://dermatology.cdlib.org/124/case_presentations/pseudomamma/conde.html| title= Pseudomamma on the foot: An unusual presentation of supernumerary breast tissue| first=Délio Marques| last= Conde| coauthors= Eiji Kashimoto, Renato Zocchio Torresan, Marcelo Alvarenga| journal=Dermatology Online Journal| volume=12| issue=4| pages= 7 }}</ref> It has also been observed in the [[perineum]].<ref name="pmid14620435">{{cite journal |author=Basu S, Bag T, Saha KS, Biswas PC |title=Accessory breast in the perineum |journal=Trop Doct |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=245 |year=2003 |pmid=14620435 |doi=}}</ref> Polymastia is often associated with abnormalities of the urinary tract and with certain diseases.<ref name="pmid11500714">{{cite journal |author=Aughsteen AA, Almasad JK, Al-Muhtaseb MH |title=Fibroadenoma of the supernumerary breast of the axilla |journal=Saudi Med J |volume=21 |issue=6 |pages=587–9 |year=2000 |pmid=11500714 |doi=}}</ref> ==Presentation== In some cases, the accessory breast may not be visible at the surface. In these cases, it may be possible to distinguish their appearance from normal breast tissue with [[MRI]].<ref name="pmid15547228">{{cite journal |author=Laor T, Collins MH, Emery KH, Donnelly LF, Bove KE, Ballard ET |title=MRI appearance of accessory breast tissue: a diagnostic consideration for an axillary mass in a peripubertal or pubertal girl |journal=AJR Am J Roentgenol |volume=183 |issue=6 |pages=1779–81 |year=2004 |pmid=15547228 |doi=}}</ref> There is some evidence that the condition may be more common in a [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] population.<ref name="pmid16547633">{{cite journal |author=Emsen IM |title=Treatment with ultrasound-assisted liposuction of accessory axillary breast tissues |journal=Aesthetic Plast Surg |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=251–2 |year=2006 |pmid=16547633 |doi=10.1007/s00266-005-0160-7}}</ref> ==Notable examples== [[Anne Boleyn]], second wife to [[Henry VIII]] of England, and mother of [[Elizabeth I]], may have had a third nipple or even a third breast.<ref name="titleThe Straight Dope: Did Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII, have a sixth finger and a third breast?">{{cite web |url=http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_053.html |title=The Straight Dope: Did Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII, have a sixth finger and a third breast? |accessdate=2007-12-03 |format= |work=}}</ref><ref name="pmid10653061">{{cite journal |author=Grossl NA |title=Supernumerary breast tissue: historical perspectives and clinical features |journal=South. Med. J. |volume=93 |issue=1 |pages=29–32 |year=2000 |pmid=10653061 |doi=}}</ref> (This may well have been a slanderous rumour, as in Tudor times these "malformations" were considered to be a sign of the owner being a witch. The circumstances of her marriage to the king, who had divorced his first wife, made her a controversial figure.) ==Mythology== In [[mythology]], attributes are exaggerated or multiplied to emphasize their efficacy. For example, [[Priapus]] has been depicted with an oversized [[penis]], and [[Artemis]] of [[Ephesus]] has been portrayed as having tier upon tier of what may be [[breasts]], as tradition has it, or sacrificed bull testes, as some newer scholars claim. Priapus' gigantic phallus underscores his virility and his fertility, while Artemis' tiers of breasts, if so they are, would highlight her ability to nurture. ==In popular culture and fiction== Accessory breasts and supernumerary nipples have often been the subject of popular speculation and urban legend.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} The additional-breast motif has also been used in motion pictures, TV shows, novels and other works of fiction: * (1974) In the James Bond film [[The Man With the Golden Gun (film)]], Francisco Scaramanga is famous for his superfluous nipple. * (1978) In [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]] novel series, [[Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#Eccentrica Gallumbits|Eccentrica Gallumbits]], the Triple-Breasted Whore of Eroticon 6, is a frequently alluded-to character. * (1982) The film ''[[The Sword and the Sorcerer]]'' features a dancer with two breasts in the normal positions and a third centered below them. * (1983) A six-breasted dancer, [[Yarna d'al' Gargan]], appears in ''[[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi]]''. * (c. 1983) In the [[Warhammer Fantasy (setting)|Warhammer Fantasy]] and [[Warhammer 40,000]] universes, daemonettes (female demons) of the god [[Slaanesh]] have six breasts: two pairs of smaller breasts below their "normal" breasts along the milk lines. Previous depictions of daemonettes have also featured three breasts. * (1984) A similar fantasy filmic exotic dancer in ''[[The Warrior And The Sorceress|The Warrior and the Sorceress]]'' has four breasts, two appearing below the regular pair. * (1989) [[Star Trek V]] had also had a three-breasted [[cat girl|cat-like]] exotic dancer. * (1990) The movie ''[[Total Recall]]'' features a mutant prostitute with three side-by-side breasts (a likely homage to Eccentrica Gallumbits, above). * (1998) In the video game ''[[Parasite Eve]]'', the antagonist, Mitochondria Eve, is shown with multiple breasts at one point in the game. * (2002) In the Adam Sandler movie ''[[Eight Crazy Nights]]'', a woman has three breasts. *''[[The Simpsons]]''' [[Krusty the Clown]] has a famous "superfluous [[nipple]]". *[[Chandler Bing]] from ''[[Friends]]'' has a third nipple, which repulses a date (who, ironically, he was about to reject because she has a [[prosthetic]] leg). It is later removed, but he misses it. * (2002) The song "[[Year 3000]]" by British band [[Busted]] (later covered by the [[Jonas Brothers]]) features the line "Triple-breasted women swim around totally naked." * (2007) In [[Good Luck Chuck]] the woman that Stu marries has three breasts. * (2008) The novel ''Death's Head: Maximum Offense'' features a woman with four breasts ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.brooksidepress.org/Products/OBGYN_101/MyDocuments4/Text/Breast/supernumerary_breasts.htm Photos] * [http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/410464_3 Cases of suckling from extra breasts] * [http://www.medscape.com/content/2000/00/41/04/410464/art-smj9301.04.fig4.jpg Old woodcut of extra breast in use] {{Congenital malformations and deformations of integument}} [[Category:Breast]] [[Category:Supernumerary body parts]] [[fr:Polymastie]] [[zh:副乳]]