540 



HAND 



HANDCUFFS 



condyle or expanded end of the humerus, and are 

 termed, the radial flexor ', \\\eulnarflexor, and the 

 long palmar muscles. The first two of these 

 muscles are inserted into wrist-bones on the radial 

 and ulnar sides respectively, while the third ex- 

 pands into a fan-like fascia or membrane in the 

 palm of the hand, and thus serves both to support 

 the skin of the palm and to protect the nerves 

 and vessels which lie below it. Beneath the palmar 

 fascia lie two sets of flexor muscles of the fingers^ 

 and they present so beautiful a mechanical arrange- 

 ment as to merit special notice. 



The superficial or perforated flexor muscle passes 

 down the front of the forearm, and divides into four 

 tendons, which become apparent after the removal 

 jf the palmar fascia, and are inserted into the second 

 phalanges of the fingers, each tendon splitting at its 

 termination, to give passage to the similar tendons 

 of the deep or perforating flexor muscle, which passes 

 from the upper part of the ulna to be inserted into 

 the last phalanx of each finger. This arrangement 

 of the tendons of the superficial and deep flexor 

 is shown in iig. 4. To these flexor muscles 



Fig. 4. 



To show the perforation of one of the tendons of the super- 

 Idal fl^j.or muscle (which is inserted into the second phalanx), 

 m order to allow the corresponding tendon of the deep flexor 

 to pass onwards to be inserted in the last phalanx. 



corres}-ond the common extensor muscle of the 

 fingers, which, like the flexors, divides into four 

 tendon.-!, one for each finger. Besides these, there is 

 a special extensor of the index-finger, a series of 

 niuscle forming the ball of the thumb, which move 

 that organ in almost every direction, and various 

 small muscles giving lateral and other movements 

 to the fingers. 



It is sufficient to observe that the hand is very 

 richly supplied with blood-vessels and nerves, with- 

 out entering into any anatomical details on these 

 points. There is no part of the body where the 

 sense of toach is so acute as at the tips of the 

 fingers ; but we defer to the article TOUCH the 

 consideration of the special arrangements which 

 make this part of the hand peculiarly important 

 in relation to our knowledge or external objects. 



As a measuring standard for the height of horses a 

 hand is a palm breadth, assumed to be four inches. 

 For left-handedness, &c., see RIGHT- AND LEFT- 

 HAN D ED NESS. 



Our notice of the comparative anatomy of the 

 Foot (q.v. ) renders it unnecessary to trace the 

 modifications presented in the lower animals by the 

 bones corresponding to those of the human hand, 

 as the carpal and metacarpal bones with their 

 phalanges undergo adaptations of form to meet the 

 individual wants of the animal, very much in the 

 same manner as thw tarsal and metatarsal bones 

 and their phalanges. Thus, the reader will readily 

 see that the so-called knee of the horse, for 

 example, is the carpus, and he will have no 

 difficulty in tracing the metacarpal bones and 

 phalanges. See Sir Charles Bell, The Hand, its 

 Mechanism and Vital Endowments (Bridgewater 

 Treatise, 1836; 9th ed. 1874). 



Handcuffs, the instruments used for securing 

 prisoners under arrest. In the loth and 16th 

 centuries they are spoken of as swivels, manacles, 

 and shackbolts. Until within the latter half of 



the 19th century, those in common use seem to 

 have been only of two kinds viz. the rigid or 

 figure-8 handcuffs, employed chiefiy in prisons for 

 the punishment or restraint of refractory or violent 

 prisoners, and the flexible or chain handcuffs 

 used by the police and military when conveying 

 a person in custody from one place to another. 

 With the former the wrists are so confined as to be 

 fixed in one position either in front or behind the 

 body of the prisoner, the latter method being the 

 one generally adopted when they are put on for 

 infraction of prison regulations. This punishment 

 is a much dreaded one, the confinement of the 

 wrists together at the prisoner's back even for a 

 short period being exceedingly irksome and uncom- 

 fortable. The chain handcuff, which is in most 

 common use, is made so that, while depriving the 

 prisoner of the free use of his hands and arms, 

 a change in the position of these to some extent 

 is permitted, and the rigidity of the figure-8 hand- 

 cuffs is avoided. Of recent years several improve- 

 ments have been made in the construction of the 

 handcuffs. They are much lighter, and many of 

 them are now adjustable ( in fig.). By means of 

 a ratchet arrangement they are made to fit any size 

 of wrist, and the difficulty which was formerly met 

 by an officer taking two or three pairs of different 

 sizes with him when going a distance to bring a 

 prisoner has tlms been overcome. For the removal 

 of gangs of prisoners from one prison to another a 

 long chain is used, running through and connecting 

 the handcuffs by which each prisoner is secured. 

 Gangs of eight or ten men are thus fastened to- 

 gether, the chain passing through a ring fixed on 

 each handcuff, and made fast at both ends by 

 what are known as end-locks. 



In addition to the handcuffs above described 

 there are several appliances, mostly of recent 

 invention, which are employed by the police in 

 securing prisoners, but which are not known 

 among the officers of the law as handcuffs. They 



Various forms of Handcuffs. 



have a variety of names such as snaps ( b in fig. ), 

 nippers (c in fig.), twisters (d in fig.), &c. They are 

 distinguished from the handcuffs by the fact that 

 they are intended only for one wrist, the other part 

 or handle being held by the officer conveying the 

 prisoner. They are mostly of American origin, 

 their chief design being to enable an offender to be 

 instantaneously secured, and thus prevent attempts 

 to resist capture. The snap is the one most in use 

 in Great Britain among detective officers ; the 

 smaller loop is slipped on the wrist of the offender, 

 and the fastening is snapped into place and held in 

 the hand of the detective ; in an emergency this 

 instrument is very effective when used as a knuckle- 

 duster. In the United States and the colonies the 

 nippers are recognised as the most effectual for 



