Don't know when it first began showing up in the pet population, but I'd expect it's been around forever (given how many mammals in general have it). It's didn't get so widely spread till people began strongly wanting to have one that "looked different". I DO know when it was first realized that what was seen in ferrets was likely WS, the same as in so many other mammals. Science News had run a long and detailed article on WS in general and that led to the first discussion on it by name, though people had already noticed the hearing loss connection to the markings. If you search for the first mentions of WS here on the FML you should find it. (Sometimes in memory I connect first mentions to the cited source; for instance, ADV was first mentioned on the Internet when members began getting copies of Fox's first veterinary text book but I don't recall how long after publication that was. Do recall the WS aspect being discussed almost as soon as the SN article appeared.) Safest at this point to think of at least some (possibly as many as all, but it remains a "who knows?") mitts as something separate from WS, though some breeders have noticed markings other than the *diagnostic head ones* in some WS ferrets. At this point it's not known if any of such other markings have one or more fo the strains of WS as one possible cause, if any of these other markings might tag along on an allele located near at least one WS cause, if it's only coincidence when they happen together, or what. People too often automatically ascribe too much to WS, without considering the other possibilities. That said, I do not believe in breeding for the WS group given that WS is firmly connected with hearing impairments in them (with variable expression), that WS in connected in studies on other species with intestinal infirmities, and that there are some numerical suggestions (which could be only a sampling quirk but are still scary till more is known) that WS might be associated with a greater risk of reduced life-spans. >She had what he described as a 'hooded' look, with a dark cap of colour on >the top of her head, and two dark markings under her eyes, LIKE A BLAZE, >but without the blaze markings. Now, I read that the blaze was caused by >skull deformation and the pigmentation resulting thereof The markings you describe are seen in a range of types of coats from what we've seen over the 18 years, and can not be specified to one cause. Aside from WS individuals sometimes having widely spaced eyes I have NOT -- repeat NOT -- read of skull malformations in them. The blaze happens because the same early embryonic cells that form into pigment cells for the head also develop into other structures, such as aspects of the ears. Remember, in early fetuses there are cell types which have to later differentiate into multiple other types of cells, so if the original cells are wrong due to whatever cause then the cells which develop from those original cells will also have problems in varying degrees. Cells' genetic material have THOUSANDS of genetic locations in each. There are many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many locations at which a mutation may be present. Some will have no affect, very likely most will have no effect, but that still leaves many things that can go wrong and points out WHY breeders have to follow lines (including those who have been "petted out") and be observant. >This seems even more likely because of her horrible time with miscarages, >and fetal deformeties when paired with a panda hob. Hope culling of one or both breeding lines was done given the kits born with deformities IF vet said was likely genetic. Depending on the type of malformation it's important to find out of the cause is more likely to be genetic or of another reason. For instance, the current thinking according to my podiatrist is that "club foot" is more a reflection of lack of room in the uterus for the fetus than of genetics that directly affect the foot -- though genetics might affect the uterine size or stretch (as can things like early large DDT exposure, apparently). There are also problems that can be caused by disease in utero, ditto ones by poisoning, or by diet. >I'm mostly curious if WS could be, I don't know, accumulative. There are so far three known possible causes, and I gather they are at different loci (locations). This means that with people purposely breeding for the markings it would be possible for a given ferret to have multiple genetic causes of WS at the same time, which might make the health results grimmer. You can learn more about this and the rest at the genetics page. Especially read Leigh's posts; she is geneticist. [Posted in FML issue 3223]