Communication

Have you ever seen this picture? It's a famous image of Winston Churchill showing the "V for Victory" sign during World War II. The 1960's and 70's, transformed the same gesture into a symbol meaning "peace," a related but slightly different meaning in the context of the Vietnam War. If you take the same two fingers in the form of a peace sign, and place them behind someone's head, the meaning changes entirely; they become bunny ears and a sure fire way to annoy the photographer of the occasion.

The list of ways we use our hands to communicate is endless. We wave hello, crook and wiggle our index finger to beckon someone closer, or pinch our noses to indicate an unpleasant odor. Pilots use gestures to signal their ground crews. Sky diving instructors use gestures to coach plummeting students. Link Even hip hop artists give meaning to their art by adding hand movements to their performances. Link Gestures can communicate instructions, demonstrate emotions, and offer healing comfort.

We often assume that gestures are a universal language. A smile is universally understood but some common gestures can have shockingly different meanings in different parts of the world. Teachers who are expert in teaching English as a second language (ESL or ESOL, English to Speakers of Other Languages) know that they have to familiarize everyone with these differences in interpreting hand movements. The "okay" sign made by forming a circle with your fingers is seen as an obscene gesture in other parts of the world. Link A person who doesn't understand the differences runs the risk of destroying communication rather than enhancing it.

A different type of communication occurs when one uses the hands to express language. Wireless operators on the Titanic used their hands to frantically signal both "SOS" and "CQD," the distress signals of the day, using Morse code. Link People who are unable to hear or speak, rely on sign language to convey their thoughts. Link

I suggest you give some thought to the ways in which you use your hands to communicate each day. Be cautious when communicating with folks who might mistakenly take offense at your gestures. When you have a moment, take some time to explore some new ways of communicating by practicing Morse code or American Sign Language. You never know when these new skills will come in "handy."

Fingers vs. Digits

The human hand has five digits, the thumb and four fingers. The digits are numbered from 1-5 starting at the thumb. There may be some disagreement about which of the digits is the LEAST important but there is no doubt that the MOST important is the thumb. Because the thumb can fold across the palm, it allows us the ability to pinch and grasp. Try a few simple tasks without the use of your thumb: tie your shoes, button a button, pick up a coin from the table, turn a key in a lock, sweep the floor, or install a lightbulb. You'll quickly learn to appreciate the beauty and functionality of your thumbs. If you spend any time on video games or text messaging, I'm sure you would be lost without your thumbs.

As for the least important finger, most people guess the pinkie would hardly be missed but that's not necessarily so. The fourth and fifth digits are both vital for lifting and controlling tools like shovels, mops, and brooms. The middle finger seems a likely candidate for "least" but if your middle finger were amputated, it would be difficult to hold small objects like coins in your hand. They would simply fall through the gap and this would be decidedly inconvenient. According to the folks at my local hand clinic, unless you are a musician or have some other particular professional need for your index finger, it is probably the one least likely to be missed. Your middle finger can easily take over most functions of the second digit. Esthetically, a missing index finger is less noticeable than the absence of the middle or ring fingers. Personally, I'm rather attached to all of my digits and hope they'll stay right where they are!

How old is this person?

Typically, x-rays are made by passing electromagnetic radiation through an object. The rays which pass through the object easily, hit the x-ray film and create a black spot. If the rays are blocked by a particularly dense item, the rays can't penetrate the object and reach the film, therefore a white "shadow" or picture is created. A carefully calibrated x-ray machine can create a picture that shows the images that appear on a coin that has been x-rayed. It can do this because various parts of the coin are different thicknesses and block various amounts of radiation. There are many lovely works of art that have been created by performing x-rays of shells and other objects of varying densities.

Luckily for us, bones are dense enough to show up on x-rays. In fact, if you are a female of my age, I hope you've had a DEXA scan or similar test to check and see if your bones are sufficiently dense to avoid fractures caused by osteoporosis. Link

Cartilage is not dense enough to show up clearly on most x-rays. Cartilage is the bendy stuff that is found in the tip of your nose and the pinnas of your ears (the part of the ear that sticks out on the sides of your head). Cartilage is also found on the ends of your bones where it creates a cushion. The next time you eat a chicken or turkey drumstick, check out the bone that is left. See that greyish shiny stuff on the end? That's cartilage. (Certain types of arthritis are the result of cartilage being worn away from the ends of the bones resulting in painful friction.)

In a developing baby, the bones of the skeleton start out as cartilage. As bones grow and mature, calcium is deposited and the density of bone increases, causing them to get longer, larger in circumference, and harder. If you look at an x-ray of a newborn baby, there are large gaps between bones. These gaps contain the cartilage that will continue developing into bone. Of course this cartilage is not as flexible as that in your nose and ears, but it is cartilage nonetheless.

If you look carefully at the x-ray of a child's hand bones shown here, you can see the spaces called epiphyseal gaps (some of them are labeled). These gaps are filled with cartilage and this is where bones grow in length. Once a person reaches adulthood and stops growing, these gaps fill in with solid bone and no longer appear in x-rays.

If a doctor x-rays the hand and wrist of a newborn infant, the carpal bones do not appear because they have not yet begun to calcify (deposit calcium and harden into bone). They're still made of cartilage, which doesn't show up on x-ray. By the time a child is one year old, one of the eight carpal bones begins to calcify so one wrist bone would appear on an x-ray. By the time a child is two years old, a second bone begins to harden and shows up on film. During the third year of life, the third bone forms, and so on until all eight carpal bones have formed. If a physician has a concern about a child's development, an x-ray of the hand and wrist can offer a clue to tell the doctor if the child's bones are growing at the expected pace of one carpal bone per year. How many carpal bones does a nine-year-old have? Eight. The maximum number is eight.

Take a close look at the x-ray shown. Link How old is this child?

Toys and Games

I have a fondness for toys and games that require skill with one's hands and include them in my class. Students learn string figures, juggling, and basic yo-yo handling. Occasionally, jacks, hand shadows, lacing, or other activities make the cut and add to the fun. Kids still enjoy all of these things and parents often comment on how much time their children spend quietly absorbed in the toys they bring home from class. (Moms and dads who are trying to think of stocking stuffers make note.)

I play the piano, cross-stitch, crochet, and know a handful of yo-yo tricks. I had an obsession with string figures for a while and can still do Jacob's Ladder, Cat's Cradle and Yam Thief without too much thought or effort. I enjoy magicians who are skilled at close-quarters sleight of hand but haven't the patience to master any of the tricks I would like to perform.

There are lots of Christmas crafts that can be done with your hands. Paper chains are always fun to add to the holiday tree. Stringing popcorn and cranberries while sitting in front of a warm fire and listening to Christmas music is a cozy way to spend an evening.

Trace everyone's hands on red and green paper; cut out the hands, curl the fingers a bit, and fasten them on a circle of cardboard to make a personal wreath to decorate a door or a refrigerator. (Many kids have failed to develop cutting skills and really need the practice.)

Many of us have developed great thumb skills by texting on our cell phones or by operating video game controllers. We should grant equal time to our fingers as well.

Hand shadows are a simple way to explore your digits and wile away some holiday time. Dig around in your closet and see if you still have an old projector or grab a bright flashlight; point it at the wall and try making hand shadows. When you think you've mastered your craft, take a look at this Youtube offering and see if you can be as creative as the talented Raymond Crowe. Link

Male or Female?

There is a memorable episode of the TV sitcom Seinfeld in which Jerry dates a woman with "man hands." I'm sure you can create a pretty clear picture of "man hands" in your mind. (Jerry didn't find them very attractive.)

What if you could just see the bones of one hand? Would you be looking at the hand of a male or a female? Is there a way to tell? The correct answer is: Maybe.

In a favorite activity book of mine,The Great Bone Mysteries (see "Resources"), the author describes how forensic scientists or crime scene investigators might tell if a skeleton is male or female. The easiest way to tell is by examining the pelvis, but if you have just a hand, the answer is not as clear.

This picture of the hand bones is a left hand, palm side up. The eight bones that form a cluster near the wrist are called carpals. The five bones which create the palm of the hand are metacarpals. The fourteen bones of the thumb and fingers are called phalanges. That makes 27 all together in one adult hand. (The number is different in young children.)

Turn your hand palm side up and compare the length of your index (pointer) finger with the length of the ring finger on the same hand. Which one looks longer? Typically (but not always) a female hand has an index finger that is longer than the ring finger. In a male, the ring finger is usually the longer of the two. So.... do you have "man hands?"

Self image

I was once told that the human hand is second only to the face in its effect on self image. I was startled by this idea because I'd simply never given that much thought to how my hands helped create an impression of me. Rings and nail polish or the lack thereof had contributed to my personal style at various times in my life, but had I never thought very much about the hands themselves.

If you think about it, an injury, scar, malformation, or tattoo on most parts of the body can be concealed as needed or desired. Only our faces and hands are "out there" for everyone to see most of the time, adding to the picture we create of ourselves. When we shake hands during an introduction, or wave hello, the people we meet record information about us. Even when hands are concealed by the owner's choice (Michael Jackson's famous glove comes to mind) the concealment causes us to form an impression. We can shove our hands in our pockets when we're nervous or uncomfortable. We can tap our fingers and gesture as we talk or raise our hands in prayerful supplication. If we see dirt under someone's fingernails as they work in a garden, an impression is formed; those same fingernails on the hands of a doctor or nurse would likely induce a different reaction. Our hands and how we use them help form an image of who we are.

I have rather prominent veins on the backs of my hands so I never thought they were very attractive until one day when I was working as a nurse in a hospital. A young female patient of mine nearly swooned as she offered effusive compliments on the appearance of the very hands to which I'd been indifferent. They were, she assured me, every bit as lovely as those of her beloved grandmother. As I wasn't much older than my patient, I was very flattered by her attention. This charming young lady coveted my hands and caused me to look at them in a new, more appreciative light. I hope one day to have a granddaughter who thinks as fondly of me as my patient did of her grandmother.

As a baby boomer, I've developed an increasing awareness of anti-aging creams, surgeries, and other interventions designed to "improve" personal appearance. As these youth-prolonging strategies proliferate, many of us are becoming more aware of how our hands contribute to our self image and we look more closely at products designed to eliminate age spots and plump up sagging skin.

Give some thought to YOUR hands. Are you sure you appreciate their contribution to how you feel about yourself? What if they looked different than they do? What if you injured your hand? Do you have a "wet noodle" handshake? Are you gifted with a comforting touch? Do you sport a manicure that gives you a stylish appearance? Or maybe your hands are special only in that they are beautiful in the eyes of someone you love.