THE HAND AS AN UNRULY MEMBER. 419 
not in the anatomical or morphological, but in the func- 
tional or teleological sense, are the really characteristic 
organs of man, corresponding with his peculiar endow- 
ments of rationality in thought, and freedom in action ; 
and so it is not a little significant that to these same or- 
gans alone, which, being the most capable of good, are, 
by perversion, the most potent for evil, can the term un- 
ruly properly be applied. For they are, either singly or 
together, the chief ground of discussion as to “man’s 
place in nature,” showing him to be a most unruly mem- 
_ber of the animal kingdom; they are the agents of the 
individual in becoming an unruly member of society, and 
they are, or represent, those regions of the body whose 
relations to other parts have ever caused the greatest 
trouble among the students of Philosophical Anatomy.* 
Leaving to the zodlogist, the moralist, and the histo- 
rian, the consideration of their respective claims to the 
“bad preéminence,” and confining our attention to one of 
them, it may also be said that not only is the hand, as 
a whole, the main element in the discussion to which I 
have referred, but that the very heat and fierceness of 
the strife has always centred upon the most character- 
istic part of this characteristic organ of humanity,—the 
umb. 
But it is asked, What is this terrible discussion all 
about, and what is the matter with our hands, and espec- 
ially with our thumbs? 
In brief, a careful study of the anterior limbs of verte- 
brate animals having shown that all are built upon one 
general plan, but varied in form and proportion to suit 
*See the various and diverse theories of the skull, especially th stig 
ones of Meig " etype and gap ee me the pareden Ske ton; 
Report of the tia ka Aebcenatiee foe “ Elements of Comparative 
my.” 
