Man from the South

In the short story, “Man from the South,” a soldier makes a bet and if lost, could lose his little finger or 5th phalange. He makes a comment that it would not matter to him if the finger was lost as he does not use it very often, but he would be wrong. Most people do not realize the importance of the little finger and the amount of mobility it can add to your hand. 

Each finger contributes greatly to the strength of an individual’s hand. If the little finger were lost, one of the major disadvantages would be that this would decrease someone’s prehension. Prehension can be categorized as grasping on object, which requires the use of all 5 fingers. The loss of a little finger can affect many parts of an individuals daily routine, such as using a power grip to grasp a water bottle. Additionally, in the life of a soldier, losing his little finger may be even more critical as he will not be able to grasp certain tools (i.e. gun) needed to accomplish his job.  

Some adaptive strategies when considering his daily life as a soldier, may be that he will have to use tools that weigh less than others. He could use a smaller, less heavy, gun which would aid him in his ability to hold the gun, especially for long periods of time. Along with this, he may be able to use gripping gloves that allow him to hold on to the tools or guns so that they do not slip from his grasp.

When considering an individual’s hand strength and mobility, most people would not think about the critical role of the little finger. Although it may not be as important as the loss of a different finger, each of the fingers work together to create optimal strength and mobility.