In humans, a specific structure of the hands is observed. The brush has five fingers, while four of them are directed in one direction, and the fifth is opposed. But why did nature conceive this way, and awarded people with such hands? There are no accidents in such things, and to understand the root causes, you need to think a little.

Hands with five fingers, one of which is opposed to the other, also distinguish monkeys. And they also have a completely non-random structure.

The history of the origin of human hands

According to the Darwinian theory of evolution, which is regarded today as generally accepted, human beings descended from monkeys, having traveled a rather long evolutionary path. Monkeys are creatures that live, feed, and even sleep in trees, and they need limbs to do this safely. It is the brush with the opposed finger that allows you to effectively hold on to the branches, quickly grab and release them, move and eat, grab any necessary objects. Therefore, it was formed in a similar way.

Interesting fact: in monkeys, hands and hind limbs are approximately the same. Because they are sometimes called four-armed. The body of these creatures is ideal for an above-ground, arboreal lifestyle.

Human evolution went further, he had to stand on his feet, go to upright posture.In this case, the structure of the legs, their feet, again had to change. These changes have occurred, the feet of a modern person have a very complicated structure, they consist of a large set of bones, having the ability to support a person’s weight and provide him with upright posture. A finger that was opposed in the past was on a par with others, so as not to interfere with a person's walking. The pelvis also changed, the new structure of these bones allowed the person to fully straighten up. The hands remained, in general terms, the same as in monkeys. After all, such anatomy was very useful. Man, developing, began to use various objects, to create and improve tools. The opposed finger and the structure of the brush, inherited by man from monkeys, made it possible to perform the most delicate manipulations, and further development of the hand was already mainly with the expectation of the ability to work.

Fingers became longer, thinner, more detached from each other. After all, now they did not have a constant load in the form of the whole body weight, like in monkeys. The evolution and development of man put forward a new demand - fingers had to become skillful, and hands - skillful.

Human grasp reflex

Developed hands with an opposed finger are formed in the infant during intrauterine development, they can be seen in the first weeks of fetal formation. The ability to use hands is inborn, it is formed at the level of instincts. Each baby is born with a grasping reflex - it also came from monkeys, whose cubs from the first hours from birth must learn to hang on the mother's body so as not to interfere with her movement.This is an important reflex that ensures safety, and therefore every baby has it - many parents are surprised how much a baby can grab something, be it beads, the edge of clothes or a lock of hair.

In the future, over time, it passes, revealing wide opportunities for the development of hands and hands in other, more subtle directions, relevant already for a person, and not for a monkey. The child quickly learns to draw, holding a pencil or pen with his fingers, eat with a spoon, use other things, imitating parents.

Hand development abnormalities

Since the brush turned out to be an extremely important part of the body ensuring human safety, the ability to work, and therefore to feed oneself, the main anomalies and pathologies were eliminated in the process of evolution, problem situations are rare here. Sometimes people are born with six or more fingers on one or both hands, while the opposition of the fingers remains.

Thus, the structure of a person’s hand with an opposing finger is completely no coincidence. It was formed in the process of evolution, inherited from its ancestors - monkeys who led an elevated way of life, almost constantly residing in a relatively safe space among the crowns of trees, where it was possible to eat fruit and foliage - many modern monkeys continue to live that way, having very similar to humans hand device.

During the transition to upright posture, the structure of the brush was completely preserved, opening up possibilities for manipulating objects.By a very good coincidence, the opposed fingers of the brushes allow not only to hang on the branches, but also to manipulate objects. Having risen to the lower extremities and moving to upright posture, the man freed his hands for labor.