AbstractAn erroneous view of early nerve development in human limbs is presented in many medical embryology and neuroanatomy textbooks. The early limb bud is described as having segmental dermatome stripes running across it, which later reorganize to form the adult pattern. In fact, the nerves grow first into a plexus, which they later leave to supply fields very similar to those in the adult. Since this error may have clinical consequences, in that it gives a false view of how anomalies are likely to arise, its source is identified and its propagation through the literature is traced. A brief review of the most recent findings concerning the mechanisms by which nerve patterns are established in vertebrate limbs is also given.