[Faith-talk] The Human Hand

[Linda Mentink]

The following is excerpted from "Made in His Image: The 
Connecting Power of Hands," R.  Guliuzza, M.D., Institute for 
Creation Research:

"Human finger movements excel in precision and _speed_.  The 
average time a person takes to make a common choice between two 
things is about half of a second.  But rapid finger motions are 
much faster--in fact even faster than is physically possible 
using only the body's sensor-to-motor loops.  To obtain the 
highest possible finger speeds, sensors and conscious thought are 
augmented in the brain with an _anticipatory function_ for 
individual finger movements called a _forward _plan, which is 
extraordinarily complex and significantly subconscious.  Evidence 
shows that the central nervous system predicts the best outcome 
of every finger movement _several movements ahead_ of its current 
state.  Thus, skilled typists will visually process up to eight 
characters _in advance _and then--in anticipation--the forward 
plan for muscle movements will commit the finger muscles to an 
action about three characters in advance of actually striking the 
keys.
Times between keystrokes are commonly as low as 60 milliseconds.  
Interestingly, speed is fastest if successive keystrokes are 
between fingers on opposite hands.  So imagine the quantity of 
mental data processed for a skilled pianist who can play 20-30 
successive notes with each hand every second--about 40 
milliseconds apart--since the nervous system executes a forward 
plan (prescribing speed, direction, pressure, duration, etc.) for 
_every_ finger _simultaneously_ and updates all plans after 
_every_ successive finger movement.  The plan is compiled in the 
cerebellum, which may, if needed, retain memory of the plan (one 
or several varieties).  This becomes an integral part of skilled 
learning.  So far, no limits have been found on the number of 
plans that can be kept in memory."

The following is excerpted from Craig Beidler,"Proof of God in 
the Palm of Your Hand," _The Real Truth_, Dec.  20, 2009:

"Sir Isaac Newton once said, 'In the absence of any other proof, 
the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.' ...  In 
his book _Fearfully and Wonderfully Made_, Dr.  Paul Brand, who 
was one of the foremost hand surgeons in the world, testifies to 
the wonder-the miracle-of the human body.  Dr.  Brand explained 
that although many people think that fat serves no significant 
purpose, it does on the hand.  'Underneath the skin in the palm 
of the hand lie globules of fat with the look and consistency of 
tapioca pudding.  Fat globules, so soft as to be almost fluid, 
cannot hold their own shape, and so they are surrounded by 
interwoven fibrils of collagen, like balloons caught in a 
supporting rope net.where stress occurs, such as on the palm of 
the hand, fat is tightly gathered and enveloped by fibrous tissue 
in a design resembling fine Belgian lace.' When you grasp a 
hammer in the palm of your hand, each 'cluster of fat cells 
changes its
shape in response to the pressure.  It yields but cannot be 
pushed aside because of the firm collagen fibers around it.  The 
resulting tissue, constantly shifting and quivering, becomes 
compliant, fitting its shape and its stress points to the precise 
shape of the handle of the hammer.  Engineers nearly shout when 
they analyze this amazing property, for they cannot design a 
material that so perfectly balances elasticity with viscosity.' 
The skin of the hand is also well suited to the task of gripping 
and handling different kinds of objects.  Dr.  Brand wrote, 'If 
my skin tissue had been made harder, I might insensitively crush 
a goblet of fine crystal as I hold it in my hand; if softer, it 
would not allow a firm grip.' ...  Another remarkable feature of 
a normal hand is its sensitivity.  Dr.  Brand states, 'A normal 
hand can distinguish between a smooth plane of glass and one 
etched with lines only 1/2500 of an inch deep.' The fingertips 
have
the ability to detect a difference of just three milligrams.  How 
extraordinary it is that the hand should be so well-suited for 
its purpose through all of these amazing features and abilities.  
Was this the product of chance or the creation of God?"