What Gray is to anatomy, Napier is to hands. A world authority on
the structure, function, and evolution of the hand, the English
physician, now Visiting Professor of Primate Biology at the
University of London, is frequently called upon to pronounce upon
this or that fossil, or opine on the handiness of monkeys and apes
as opposed to Homo sapiens. He is also a droll expositor for the
layman, and the present volume illustrates his skills when given
carte blanche to say what he will about his favorite appendages.
Fine early chapters deal with anatomy, function, and evolution. We
learn, for example, that prehensility is probably a matter of
dietary change. Humankind evolved from small grub-eating
ground-hugging shrews to bigger tree-living fruit- and leaf-eaters,
a transition that requires both stability and agility. So: the
forefoot becomes the foot-hand and finally a pure hand with fully
opposable thumb and exquisite neuromuscular control. Later, we hear
Napier on tool-using and tool-making. (He is, after all, the source
of the distinction between the power and the precision grip.) And
he has some wry commentary on how not to make a nailbrush or a hand
drill. Then it's on to fingerprints (not even alike in identical
twins), handedness (probably goes hand-in-hand with the development
of finesse), and gestures (shades of Desmond Morris' recent work).
All this is accompanied by good line art, photos, and occasional
fine art. A winner, hands down. (Kirkus Reviews)
Intended for all readers--including magicians, detectives,
musicians, orthopedic surgeons, and anthropologists--this book
offers a thorough account of that most intriguing and most human of
appendages: the hand. In this illustrated work, John Napier
explores a wide range of absorbing subjects such as fingerprints,
handedness, gestures, fossil remains, and the making and using of
tools.
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