Used for gestures of communication, environmental exploration, and the grasping and manipulating of objects, the hand has a vital role in our lives. The hand's anatomical structure and neural control are among the most complex and detailed of human motor systems.Hand and Brain is a comprehensive overview of the hand's sensorimotor control. It discusses mediating variables in perception and prehension, the coordination of muscles with the central nervous system, the nature of movement control and hand positioning, hand-arm coordination in reaching and grasping, and the sensory function of the hand.In the last decade the rapid growth of neuroscience has been paralleled by a surge of interest in hand function. This reflects the fact that many of the fundamental issues facing neuroscientists today--including the problem of relating physiology to behavior--are central to the study of sensorimotor control of the hand. This book takes a broad interdisciplinary perspective on the control of hand movements that includes neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, psychology and neuropsychology, and biomechanics.The authors, who have all made significant scientific contributions in their own right, have sought to introduce their chosen topics in a manner that the undergraduate reader will be able to follow without sacrificing detailed and up-to-date coverage ofthe major developments.Uses an interdisciplinary approach including behavioral and neurophysiological dataDescribes a variety of experimental methodologiesTreats neural computations necessary for the control of movementCovers implications of biomechanics for control, sensory mechanisms, and perceptual processing (haptics)Includes manipulative hand function as well as reachingOverviews each group of chapters using link sectionsContains an integrated index and a glosssaryThe five sections cover:Mediating variables in perception and prehensionThe coordination of muscles with the central nervous systemThe nature of movement control and hand positioningHand-arm coordination in reaching and graspingThe sensory function of the hand

This book presents the human hand from an overall perspective – from the first appearance of hand-like structures in the fins of big fishes living millions of years ago to today ́s and the future’s mind-controlled artificial hands. Much focus is given to the extremely well-developed sensation of the hand, its importance and its linkage to brain plasticity mechanisms. How can active hands rapidly expand their representational area in the brain? How can the sense of touch substitute for other deficient senses, such as in Braille reading where hand sensation substitutes for missing vision? How can the mere observation of active hands, belonging to others, activate the hand area in the observer’s own brain and what is the importance of this phenomenon for learning by imitation and the understanding of other peoples’ actions, gestures and body language? Why are some of us left-handed and what are the consequences from cultural and physiological viewpoints? Why does phantom sensation and phantom pain occur after hand amputation, and what can we do about it? Why can salamanders regenerate new extremities while humans can not? Is it possible to transplant a hand from a diseased individual to an amputee? Can artificial robotic hands be controlled by our mind, and can they ever gain the role of a normal hand? What role did the hand and the brain play during evolution in tool construction and development of language and cognitive functions? The hand has a high symbolic value in religion, literature and art and our hands have a key role in gestures and body language. The Hand and the Brain is aimed at anybody with interest in life sciences, in the medical field especially hand surgeons, orthopaedic specialists, neurologists and general practitioners, and those working in rehabilitation medicine and pain treatment. The original Swedish version of The Hand and the Brain has also become very popular among physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and among a general population with an interest in science.

This open access book focuses on imaging of the musculoskeletal diseases. Over the last few years, there have been considerable advances in this area, driven by clinical as well as technological developments. The authors are all internationally renowned experts in their field. They are also excellent teachers, and provide didactically outstanding chapters. The book is disease-oriented and covers all relevant imaging modalities, with particular emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging. Important aspects of pediatric imaging are also included. IDKD books are completely re-written every four years. As a result, they offer a comprehensive review of the state of the art in imaging. The book is clearly structured with learning objectives, abstracts, subheadings, tables and take-home points, supported by design elements to help readers easily navigate through the text. As an IDKD book, it is particularly valuable for general radiologists, radiology residents, and interventional radiologists who want to update their diagnostic knowledge, and for clinicians interested in imaging as it relates to their specialty.

The WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care provide health-care workers (HCWs), hospital administrators and health authorities with a thorough review of evidence on hand hygiene in health care and specific recommendations to improve practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and HCWs. The present Guidelines are intended to be implemented in any situation in which health care is delivered either to a patient or to a specific group in a population. Therefore, this concept applies to all settings where health care is permanently or occasionally performed, such as home care by birth attendants. Definitions of health-care settings are proposed in Appendix 1. These Guidelines and the associated WHO Multimodal Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy and an Implementation Toolkit (http://www.who.int/gpsc/en/) are designed to offer health-care facilities in Member States a conceptual framework and practical tools for the application of recommendations in practice at the bedside. While ensuring consistency with the Guidelines recommendations, individual adaptation according to local regulations, settings, needs, and resources is desirable. This extensive review includes in one document sufficient technical information to support training materials and help plan implementation strategies. The document comprises six parts.

This is David Sudnow's classic account of how his hands learned to improvise jazz on the piano. David Sudnow is the author of Passing On and editor of Studies in Social Interaction. Since writing this book, he has developed a piano training method based on its insights.

Perfect for hand therapy specialists, hand therapy students, and any other professional who encounters clients with upper extremity issues, Fundamentals of Hand Therapy, 2nd Edition contains everything you need to make sound therapy decisions. Coverage includes hand anatomy, the evaluation process, and diagnosis-specific information. Expert tips, treatment guidelines, and case studies round out this comprehensive text designed to help you think critically about each client's individual needs. "Overall, a very clear readable style is adopted throughout, with theory supported by various anecdotal case studies. Excellent use is made of illustrations, and many chapters contain the helpful addition of 'clinical pearls' or 'tips from the field', which are an attempt to make transparent the links between theory and practice. In conclusion, this is an excellent core text for reference purposes." Reviewed by: British Journal of Occupational Therapy Date: Aug 2014 Clinical Pearls and Precautions highlight relevant information learned by the experienced author and contributors that you can apply to clinical practice. Case examples included in the diagnoses chapters in Part Three demonstrate the use of clinical reasoning and a humanistic approach in treating the client. Diagnosis-specific information in the final section of the book is well-organized to give you quick access to the information you need. Special features sections such as Questions to Discuss with the Physician, What to Say to Clients, Tips from the Field, and more help readers find their own clinical voices. Online sample exercises give you a pool to pull from during professional practice. NEW! Chapters on yoga and pilates provide guidance into new ways to treat upper extremity problems. NEW! Chapter on wound care gives you a thorough foundation on how wounds impact therapeutic outcomes. NEW! Chapter on orthotics has been added to cover basic splinting patterns. NEW! Online resources help assess your understanding and retention of the material.

A comprehensive guide to the inner psychology revealed by the hand • Details how to interpret the entire hand--the shape of the palm and fingers, mounts, lines, fingerprints, flexibility, nails, and skin texture • Reveals the personality archetypes, strengths, and weaknesses connected with each of the seven mounts and how the rest of the hand modifies these traits • Explains how lines change and the decisive influence of the person’s own mind in healing defects found on the lines Palmistry is a science and a universal language. The hand tells a story about your talents, relationships, health, and how you feel about yourself. It reveals periods of ease or challenge in your life, and it speaks about your weaknesses and the traits you need to develop. As you change, so do your hands, reflecting the progress you have made. In this comprehensive guide to hand reading, based on Ellen Goldberg’s 40 years of teaching palmistry and the Western Mystery tradition, the authors make the powerful insights of the hand accessible in an inviting and user-friendly manner. The book presents the character traits and personality archetypes associated with each of the seven mounts of the palm and shows how to determine which are most influential in the nature of the individual. The mount archetypes reveal the lifestyle, love,sex, and marriage preferences; the best career choices; and the unique strengths and weaknesses for each person. The book also examines other factors that enhance the qualities revealed by the mount types, including the flexibility of the hand, texture of the skin, and the shapes of the fingers, fingertips, and nails. The meaning of each major and minor line is described in detail as well as the influence the person’s own mind has in healing defects and obstacles found on their lines. The authors also provide accurate timing guides for each line, making it possible to locate specific events and to see how your lines change over time. Presenting the hand as a guide to self-fulfillment, The Art and Science of Hand Reading incorporates correspondences to other mystical sciences such as astrology, Kabbalah, the Hermetic teachings, and archetypal psychology. It also includes practical examples and more than 600 illustrations to show how to integrate the meanings of each part of the hand to form a complete picture of your inner psychology and your ever-changing destiny.

An argument that the system of boards that license human-subject research is so fundamentally misconceived that it inevitably does more harm than good. Medical and social progress depend on research with human subjects. When that research is done in institutions getting federal money, it is regulated (often minutely) by federally required and supervised bureaucracies called “institutional review boards” (IRBs). Do—can—these IRBs do more harm than good? In The Censor's Hand, Schneider addresses this crucial but long-unasked question. Schneider answers the question by consulting a critical but ignored experience—the law's learning about regulation—and by amassing empirical evidence that is scattered around many literatures. He concludes that IRBs were fundamentally misconceived. Their usefulness to human subjects is doubtful, but they clearly delay, distort, and deter research that can save people's lives, soothe their suffering, and enhance their welfare. IRBs demonstrably make decisions poorly. They cannot be expected to make decisions well, for they lack the expertise, ethical principles, legal rules, effective procedures, and accountability essential to good regulation. And IRBs are censors in the place censorship is most damaging—universities. In sum, Schneider argues that IRBs are bad regulation that inescapably do more harm than good. They were an irreparable mistake that should be abandoned so that research can be conducted properly and regulated sensibly.

This book systematically reviews sensory and motor nerve conduction studies on the ulnar nerve, from pilot human studies of peripheral nerve conduction in the 1950s through to the most recent scientific evidence. Precise descriptions are provided of approx. 70 nerve conduction techniques that were reproduced in the laboratory, with organization of the techniques according to practical criteria for ease of reference. Particular attention is devoted to those techniques that have shown higher sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of compressive mononeuropathies, such as ulnar neuropathy at the elbow or wrist. Normal and pathological values derived from the original articles and the subsequent literature are presented, and the wealth of illustrative material facilitates comprehension and reproduction of each technique. The volume is completed by a detailed, well-illustrated glossary explaining the more commonly used terms in electrodiagnostic medicine. This book will appeal to novice and experienced neurologists, students, clinical neurophysiology technicians, and rehabilitation physicians. It represents a logical extension of the volumes on the median nerve recently published by Springer.

Today we are all familiar with the iconic pictures of the nebulae produced by the Hubble Space Telescope’s digital cameras. But there was a time, before the successful application of photography to the heavens, in which scientists had to rely on handmade drawings of these mysterious phenomena. Observing by Hand sheds entirely new light on the ways in which the production and reception of handdrawn images of the nebulae in the nineteenth century contributed to astronomical observation. Omar W. Nasim investigates hundreds of unpublished observing books and paper records from six nineteenth-century observers of the nebulae: Sir John Herschel; William Parsons, the third Earl of Rosse; William Lassell; Ebenezer Porter Mason; Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel; and George Phillips Bond. Nasim focuses on the ways in which these observers created and employed their drawings in data-driven procedures, from their choices of artistic materials and techniques to their practices and scientific observation. He examines the ways in which the act of drawing complemented the acts of seeing and knowing, as well as the ways that making pictures was connected to the production of scientific knowledge. An impeccably researched, carefully crafted, and beautifully illustrated piece of historical work, Observing by Hand will delight historians of science, art, and the book, as well as astronomers and philosophers.