Phocomelia s a  congenital condition that involves malformations of human arms and legs that is most often described as having flipper-like appendages. However, it can manifest in other regions of the body resulting in shortened neck, abnormalities in the urethra, and hydrocephalus.

A cause of phocomelia is the mother being prescribed certain chemicals during pregnancy.  However, the causes of most cases are idiopathic.

For the purposes of mortuary school, phocomelia is described as a condition in which the proximal portions of the limbs are poorly developed or missing.

As with many medical terms, phocomelia can be broken apart into smaller words.  Here melia refers to a condition of the limbs.   Melos is Greek for limb.  I suggest keeping this one in the memory banks as it will come up in the future. Today we will focus on Phoco. Phoco is derived from phoca. Phoca is a genus of seals.  For our purposes let’s simply commit to Phoco means seal.  If you think of a seal you will recall these cute aquatic creatures do not have arms, only flippers for upper extremities.  This is the description of phocomelia.  Distal portions only, no proximal portions. Think seals!  Also, I apologize for the flagrant use of the phoco during this podcast.