160 On the Hand and Foot in Man and Apes. 



of the heel, and corresponds to a similar crease in the hand 

 of the ape. In the human foot neither of these creases is 

 seen. 



3. A well-marked crease runs transversely across the sole, 

 even on to the hallux just behind the point where that digit 

 becomes free from the rest of the foot. 



4. A still deeper crease runs transversely across the sole 

 just behind the metacarpo-phalangeal articulations. This 

 marks the place at which the long axes of the sole and digits 

 meet at an obtuse angle. 



5. At the root of the four other toes there is a deep double 

 crease which slopes from the margins of the foot forward to 

 the middle digit. Creases 3, 4, and 5 are caused by tlie 

 folding of the tissues on flexion of the toes into the sole. 

 Hepburn [2] figures a crease in the foot of the gibbon 

 running longitudinally, and ascribes its presence to tlie con- 

 tractions of the adductor (contrahentes) layer of muscles. 

 In my specimen this crease was absent, and it is interesting 

 to note that 'the adductor muscles of the four outer toes were 

 also wanting. 



The creases and the finer lines on the toes correspond to, 

 but are not so well marked as, those found on the fingers. 

 The finer lines on the sole start from the heel and pass in 

 wide curves to the margin of the foot : those on the outer 

 side to the outer margin ; those in the centre forward with a 

 slight general inclination inward; and those on the inner 

 side forward and inward to the cleft between the sole and 

 great toe. This same arrangement is reproduced on a 

 smaller scale on the skin of the ball of the great toe. 



The description of the finger-nails applies equally to the 

 toe-nails. The ungual phalanges of the toes were, if anj'- 

 thing, a trifle more bulbous than those of the fingers. 



From my account it is clear that there is much less resem- 

 blance between a man's and a gibbon's foot than there is 

 between their hands. In fact, of the hand and foot of the 

 gibbon, it is the latter which more closely resembles the 

 human hand. The central digit of the ape's foot and hand 

 corresponds to the central digit of the human hand, namely 

 the third, while the central digit of the human foot is the 

 second. The maiked difference between the hand and foot of 

 man is due to specialization. Man uses his hand, said 

 Goodsir, " as an instrument for acting on matter, in the terras 

 of his human faculty of thinking in space " ; while his foot 

 is an organ merely of support and progression. Commonly 

 all other functions are precluded, for the foot is enclosed in a 

 boot. 13ut among peoples, such as the natives of India, 



