Dissected: The Incredible Human Hand

What's Hot
ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
edited August 2017 in Off Topic
We rely on them so much in everyday life, and even more than most as musicians, but how much do you really understand about what happens when you reach out for your guitar ?

What works so miraculously, and what can so easily go wrong.  A marvel of natures engineering.

A fascinating program from BBC Scotland

"Dissecting a real hand, taking it apart layer by layer to reveal what makes it unique in the animal kingdom. We discover what gives our hands an unrivalled combination of power and precision, and meet people who use their hands in extraordinary ways - from magicians to rock climbers - to discover what gives them such astonishing abilities."


So much better on iPlayer...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01mv2md/dissected-1-the-incredible-human-hand

only available (again) on iPlayer until midnight on Tuesday 15th August 2017,




or see YT poor version below...
the BBC in their infinite wisdom, have taken down the original YT posting, the new one here is 10mins shorter, I'm not sure what was cut out.  And pulled by the BBC again, so here is another one, not very good sound quality and small video window* I am afraid this time (*presumably to deter YT's copyright algorithms).  If you find a better version on YT, please let me know.
It is a shame, as a good understanding of the mechanics of the hand can help us all to maximise what we can achieve with this marvel of evolutionary bio-engineering, and to avoid unnecessary injuries too.  It is in the public interest to keep these programs easily accessible, they were broadcast into the public domain, which is where that should stay IMHO.


MUCH better to watch on iPlayer if you can though...


Duration 1 hour

https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToM51CO0Lyc
(old YT address)  https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIKjRtN5pSI
Duration 59:00

Part two is available on the same YT channel and is about the incredible human foot

0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«1

Comments

  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4021
    Cheers for that -- I've put it on my watch later list.

    Hands are incredible -- they were my first interest and my first physio gig was in a hand unit.  Still fond of them.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • GassageGassage Frets: 30814
    For the Midlands/Brummie Crue:

    Q: Which Football commentator had the biggest hands ever?



    A: Hugh Johns.



    (Brummies will get this, no-one else will)

    *An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.

    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • SkippedSkipped Frets: 2371
    I am not sure that I will be able to watch the clip.
    But it is a sobering thought for all of us, certainly some of us,  that tommorow you could develop arthritis in just the little finger of your fretting hand......and you are in trouble.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • So what else are you going to watch on a Friday night ?

    It really is a very good program.

    I would be interested to get some feedback on what those who have watched it thought.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • No time to watch it tonight, stupid work in the morning.

    Will watch it over the weekend though as I've had hand problems over the years and it may provide some insight.

    Recently started taking Glucosamine Sulphate supplements that have really helped with my left hand problems. Joints/ Tendonitis.
    littlegreenman < My tunes here...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I would love to hear what you make of the program when you have had a chance to watch it @littlegreenman .

    I thought that the whole program gave a remarkable level of insight and understanding.

    Lots of depth, and surprisingly little of the dissection, just enough to support the story and clarify the mechanics of the incredible piece of bioengineering we carry with us throughout our lives.

    The complexity of the hand and brain system is just remarkable, I watched in genuine awe.

    It will definitely help me in avoiding injuries, and dealing with some current issues, which was the main reason for posting this in the hope that it will help others in the same way.

    I think it also paves the way for understanding how to approach training and practice regimes in a more informed way.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I would love to hear what you make of the program when you have had a chance to watch it @littlegreenman .

    I thought that the whole program gave a remarkable level of insight and understanding.

    Lots of depth, and surprisingly little of the dissection, just enough to support the story and clarify the mechanics of the incredible piece of bioengineering we carry with us throughout our lives.

    The complexity of the hand and brain system is just remarkable, I watched in genuine awe.

    It will definitely help me in avoiding injuries, and dealing with some current issues, which was the main reason for posting this in the hope that it will help others in the same way.

    I think it also paves the way for understanding how to approach training and practice regimes in a more informed way.
    Will let you know @ChrisMusic. But for now, I need to take advantage of the other remarkable function of our bio-mechanical design. Sleep :)
    littlegreenman < My tunes here...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • holnrewholnrew Frets: 8207
    I went to the bodyworld exhibit last month, it was incredible. There was even (a dead) somebody playing guitar. All the ligaments and muscles involved is incredible.
    My V key is broken
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    edited December 2014
    Honestly, this is an excellent program.

    There really is only a little of the real hand, which shows so well how the whole system works.

    We, as guitarists, would all benefit from watching and understanding this.

    Our hands are a gift, and an amazing mechanical system.  If we understand how they work, we are so much better placed to make the best of training them using them to play our instrument, and to look after them for the lifetimes service they will give.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • holnrew;429113" said:
    I went to the bodyworld exhibit last month, it was incredible. There was even (a dead) somebody playing guitar. All the ligaments and muscles involved is incredible.
    Been twice, once in London, once in Munich.

    Utterly astonishing, I did all the extras on the audio guide and loved it.

    The one in London was actually my first ever date. Nothing like dead people and animals to set the mood for a good old fashioned.
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Has anyone here actually watched this yet ???

    I would love to get some feedback of what you thought of the program, and what positives you got from it ?

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • This has got to be better use of your time than watching mindless Xmas TV, surely ?

    And Strictly Come Dancing is on in 20 mins, so wadd'ya gonna do then ?

    Kinda reminds me of carving that turkey ~ no don't go there !

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Our most precious resource, after our brain !

    and so few have watched it

    Surely someone has a comment or two about this excellent, and educational, program ?

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Nothing like dead people and animals to set the mood for a good old fashioned.


    Ah, cocktails. Such a sophisticated way to end a date.

    Oh wait... you meant...

    Don't talk politics and don't throw stones. Your royal highnesses.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    So what else are you going to do on a sunny Easter Sunday ?


    @english_bob, I am worried about you...
    ;)

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    Or even on an early May bank holiday Monday ?     :o3

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    OK you wimps, nobody got the bottle to watch this?
    Man up and watch from behind the sofa,
    or now with the safety net of good old Auntie Beeb's iPlayer     8-X

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01mv2md/dissected-1-the-incredible-human-hand

    only available for 25 days from the date of this post...

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11771
    OK you wimps, nobody got the bottle to watch this?
    Man up and watch from behind the sofa,
    or now with the safety net of good old Auntie Beeb's iPlayer     8-X

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01mv2md/dissected-1-the-incredible-human-hand

    only available for 25 days from the date of this post...
    brilliant
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • MyrandaMyranda Frets: 2940
    While the human hand can do a lot of things, I think it a little rubbish in the grand scheme of things... bones easily broken and hard to heal neatly, tendons that tear, cartilage that wears out, or cartilaginous rings that swell and painfully grasp tendons, nerves that get easily damaged leaving numbness or pain ... skin easy to tear or burn ... nails that can break and tear or be pulled out.... and lots of pain receptors that make nasty people able to inflict great pain through them.

    And that's before arthritis type problems
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    Yes, @Myranda , but apart from that, what did the human hand ever do for us ...   ;)

    Isn't that just the fragility of the whole human condition, physical and psychological (including the limitations of intelligence, both emotional (as alluded to) and otherwise).  The brain is likewise a wonderful thing, but you only have to experience everyday life to see extraordinary limitations    :-B

    Yet our very existence is so very precious...

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.