138 THE HAND PECULIAR TO MAN. 



veloped in Man, than it is in even the highest Apes. The thumb 

 of the Human hand may be made to meet, at its point, the ex- 

 tremities of each finger singly, or of all in combination ; whilst 

 in those Quadrumana, which most nearly approach Man, the 

 thumb is so short and weak, and the fingers so long and slender, 

 that their tips can scarcely be brought in opposition, and can 

 never be opposed in near contact with each other with any degree 

 of force. Hence, although admirably adapted for clinging round 

 bodies of a certain size, such as the small branches of trees, &c., 

 the extremities of the Quadrumana can neither seize very minute 

 objects with that precision, nor support large ones with that 

 firmness, which are essential to the dexterous performance of a 

 variety of operations, for which the hand of Man is admirably 

 adapted. Hence the possession of four hands is not, as might be 

 supposed, a character which raises the animals that possess it 

 above ^'0-handed Man ; since none of these four hands are adapted 

 to the same variety of actions of prehension, of which his are 

 capable ; and all of them are in some degree required for support. 

 In this respect, their character approaches much nearer to that of 

 the extremities of the lower Mammalia. 



128. We ought, then, as Sir Charles Bell remarked, "to 

 define the hand as belonging exclusively to Man." There is in 

 him, what we observe in none of the Mammalia that approach 

 him in other respects, a complete distinction between the 

 functions of his two pairs of extremities ; the upper being adapted 

 for prehension alone, the lower for support only. Thus each 

 function is performed with a much higher degree of perfection 

 than it can be, where two such opposite purposes have to be 

 united. The arm of the Ape has as wide a range of motion as 

 that of Man, so far as this can be given by the joints ; but it is 

 only when the animal is in the erect attitude, that its arm can 

 have free play. Thus the structure of the whole frame must 

 conform to that of the hand, and must act with reference to it. 

 But it cannot be said with truth, (as some have maintained,) 

 that Man owes his superiority to his hand alone ; for without the 

 directing mind, the hand would be comparatively valueless. His 

 elevated position is due to his mind and its instruments con- 



