In the story "Man from the South" by Roald Dahl, a young soldier bets his pinky finger for another man's expensive car. If the young soldier loses the bet, the other man chops off his pinky finger. While the pinky finger may not seem as important as the thumb or index finger, the pinky finger plays a huge role in power grips. According to Laurie Rogers, a hand therapist at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, losing the pinky finger will result in up to 50% decline in hand strength. The pinky finger works with the ring finger to provide hand power and to engage in activities of daily living like holding a bottle of water or picking up a bag from the handle.
In this scenario, if the young soldier loses his pinky finger, how would have a difficult time holding his gun properly, since holding a gun requires a power grip. If he is unable to hold his gun properly, he would not have an accurate shot, and his job may not let him serve active duty. By not having an accurate shot, the soldier puts himself and his fellow soldiers in danger. If the soldier is unable to serve active duty like he want to, the soldier may start to experience mental problems like depression.
In order to adapt to the situation, the soldier could work on strengthening his other digits to compensate for the loss of his fifth finger. He could also find alternative ways to hold the gun. If the soldier is completely unable to adjust to the disability, he could try finding another position in the army that does not require holding a gun.
Sources include:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trbzaTTzqHc
Many people would not consider how impactful loosing the pinky would be. I agree that even mentally, like you hit on with the depression, the soldier would be hindered because of the loss of the digit.
ReplyDeleteI love that you mentioned the impact the loss of his finger would have on his mental health. Mental health is so important, especially when recovering from an injury. I agree that it may be more beneficial in this situation to work on adapting his grip, rather than being dependent on an assistive device. If he were to be in the field, an assistive device could be broken or lost, where as an adapted grip would always be availble.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and comments!
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