Orthopaedic Surgery/Hand:Design and Function

The concept is difficult to grasp. This expression is telling of the significance beyond function alone that our hands hold for us. Indeed the use of the word hold in this way alludes to the same point. With our hands we verify the reality of our physical existence and with our hands we make our way in the world and manipulate it's resources to improve our existence.

An encyclopedia of the periodic table attests to the fact that man has indeed sought to make some use of every element which composes the matter around us*. We are born to explore and exploit our world and our hands are not just the implements but symbolize that nature in us as well.

Even the most ardent atheist is given to wonder at the reiteration of forms found in our hands in our DNA and in the shapes of galaxies and consider that some universal design principle is at work. spiralfibonacci

Yet as we consider the intricacies it is apparent that this beautiful tool did indeed come about through a process of evolution from a limb for support to one of suspension then to a tool to modify the world.thumb


 * Emsley, John: "Nature's Building Blocks"