The Humanity Of Hands
When medical students perform dissections on human cadavers, they aim to remain focused and clinical. Yet there is one part of the body that reminds them that this body was once full of life. According to a medical student from Johns Hopkins, “On some days, I saw the cadaver as more of a tool to learn the science of anatomy rather than as a human, but the days when we dissected the hands or the face brought me back to the humanity of the cadaver.” Many times we think of the face as the pinnacle of human emotion and what connects each of us to each other. Rather, have we overlooked another part of us that connects us in a different and deeper way?
The hands are shockingly one of the most human parts of the body. From the time you are born, one of the first questions many ask is, “Do they have ten fingers and ten toes?”, and if yes, is usually replied with “Then, they are perfect”. In the eyes of society and many grandmothers alike, the criteria to be a healthy baby is how many fingers you have. How have ten digits become the representation of health and what it means to be human?
Evolutionarily, what made homo sapiens a dominating species is a way our hands developed. The development of opposable thumbs allowed for precision in tasks. Along with a brain that was quickly developing, the hands' ability to grasp tools, create tools for food gathering, and the creation of shelter allowed humans to command their environment and thrive. A whole new world of advancement was created when humans were able to move their hands and fingers more fluidly. Almost all of the activities you are able to do is dependent upon the efficiency of your hands to the task. The rise of humanity began with the dexterity of hands.
As humans became more complex, so did the importance of hands societally. Hands started to represent more than a tool. They become an expression of emotion. Hands have the power to represent complex emotions in the same way a face can. You can be expressive with your hands to signify how you feel. There are many different ways to do so from the motion of your hands. A heart, a thumbs up, and a wave of the hands are all manners of nonverbal communication. A well-known form of nonverbal communication is American Sign Language which has been a form of nonverbal communication for over 200 years.
Hands are also a form of connection. Holding someone’s hand is a symbol of pure love for another person. Holding hands with someone is result of when you are unable to simply sit beside the person you love. You must interlock with them in another way, connecting yourself to them through your fingers, ten points of love touching.
In terms of societal commitments of love, a person wears a ring on the fourth finger of the left hand to show their eternal love and commitment to another person. In ancient Egypt, they believed that this fourth finger had a vein that ran all the way to the heart. Essentially, they believed wearing a marriage ring was connecting another person to your heart, the hand being the only direct connector in the body to the heart.
From your point of view, your hands are almost always visible. You see your hands at all points during the day. You are almost always using them in some manner. Whether to drink your favorite beverage, pull your blanket up to your chin, or flip a book page, you use them absentmindedly, a silent aid.
As I type this, my hands move with simple ease over the keyboard. Each digit retains the memory of where each key lies, seeming like they have a mind of their own. I forget how reliant I am on them in everything I do. They carry more humanity and power than any other part of my body. In my hands and yours, lies the history of humanity.
Strike Out,
Written by: AK Anderson
Edited by: Hanna Bradford
Graphic by: Gus Gaston
