Hands of Primates (1993)

By:

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into UK education collection to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis
The hand commonly is considered to have exerted great influence on the evolution of typically human characteristics, like upright posture, stereoscopic vision, «manipulative» handling of parts of the environment. The German term «Begreifen», which is commonly used for the understanding of complex relationships in a generalised, abstract sense, always implies the original meaning of seizing objects with the aid of the hands. The hands are also of greatest importance for the survival of the other, non-human primates. Hands are absolutely essential for locomotion in an arboreal habitat, and the intake of food is dependant on the use of the hands as well: primates very rarely take in food directly with their mouths, in the wast majority of cases they seize food items with their hands. Even drinking is often performed by dipping the hand into the water and licking the drops from hand and forearm. An organ of such importance will very probably be «adapted» to its «function». This statement is made so often, that any further considerations seem superfluous. Nobody doubts, that the hands of primates are highly adaptive organs, the general form and internal structure of which are closely related to the necessities of life. However, if one tries to go beyond this general statement, he finds himself confront­ ed with several problems: First of all, a point which W. GUTMANN has emphasized repeatedly: according to the results obtained by genetics, the first thing to appear is the mutated character.
Copyright:
1993

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9783709169148
Related ISBNs:
9783211823859
Publisher:
Springer Vienna
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Springer-Verlag Wien
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Science, Sports, Animals, Social Studies, Medicine
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.
Edited by:
Holger Preuschoft
Edited by:
David J. Chivers

Reviews

No Rating Yet