Hands of Primates

414 Pages·1993·18.779 MB·English

by  Prof. Dr. Holger Preuschoft, Dr. David J. Chivers (auth.), Prof. Dr. Holger Preuschoft, Dr. David J. Chivers (eds.)

Holger Preuschoft and
J.
David Chivers (eds.)
Hands of Primates
Springer-Verlag Wien New York
Dr. Holger Preuschoft
Abteilung fiir Funktionelle Morphologie
Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum
Bochum, Federal Republic of Germany
Dr. David J. Chivers
Department of Anatomy
University of Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom
This work is subject to copyright.
All rights reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically those of
translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, broadcasting, reproduction by photocopying machines
or similar means, and storage in data banks.
© 1993 by Springer-VerlagfWien
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1993
Printed on acid-free paper
With 224 Figures
ISBN-13: 978-3-7091-7434-0 e-ISBN-13: 978-3-7091-6914-8
DOl: 10. 1007/ 978-3-7091-6914-8
CONTENTS
List of Contributors vn
Introduction 1
1. HAND USE
S. Schoneich - Hand usage in the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta
Linnaeus 1758) when solving manipulative tasks 7
R.G. Rawlins - Locomotive and manipulative use of the hand in the
Cayo Santiago macaques (Macaca mulatta) 21
C. Boesch & H. Boesch - Different hand postures for pounding nuts
with natural hammers by wild chimpanzees 31
P.H. Brenot - Lateralised handedness, bipedalism and cortical spe-
cialisation 45
M.E. Redshaw - The development of prehension in human and
gorilla infants 55
M. Christel- Grasping techniques and hand preferences in Hominoi-
dea 91
M.M. Gunther & C. Boesch - Energetic cost of nut-cracking beha-
viour in wild chimpanzees 109
II. HAND FUNCTION
F.K. Jouf&oy, M. Godinot & Y. Nakano - Biometrical characteri-
stics of primate hands 13 3
A. Ikeda & S. Matsumoto - New results concerning the vasculariza-
tion of primate hands. Part I: The palmar arterial arches in
Cetc<?pithecidae, Pongidae, Hominidae and other primates 173
A. Ikeda & N. Umeda - New results concerning the vascularization
of primate hands. Part II: The capillaries in the dermal ridges of
fingers (and palms) in man and monkeys 183
W. Maier ~ Adaptations in the hands of cercopithecoids and callitri-
chids 191
R. McN. Alexander - Joints and muscles of hands and paws 199
VI CONTENTS
G.P. Rauwerdink - Muscle fibre and tendon lengths in primate
extremities 207
U. Nieschalk & B. Demes - Biomechanical determinants of re-
duction of the second ray in Lorisinae 225
J. Koebke - Functional morphology of the human carpus 235
H. Preuschoft, M. Godinot, C. Beard, U. Nieschalk & F.K. Jouffroy
- Biomechanical considerations to explain important morphologi-
cal characters of primate hands 245
R.F. Ker - Elasticity of hand and forefoot tendons 257
E. Doden - The relationship between the function and the inner
cortical structure of metacarpal and phalangeal bones 271
C. Buck & H. Bar - Investigations on the biomechanical significance
of dermatoglyphic ridges 285
III. HAND DEVELOPMENT
M.F. Gutmann - The constructional preconditions of the basic
organization of the tetrapod limb 309
J.M.F. Landsmeer - Evolution and the hand 323
M. Godinot & K.C. Beard - A survey of fossil primate hands 335
J .L. Franzen - The oldest primate hands: Additional remarks and
observations 379
K.C. Beard, M.F. Teaford & A. Walker - New hand bones of the
early Miocene hominoid Proconsul and their implications for the
evolution of the hominoid wrist 387
B. Christ, H.J. Jacob, B. Brand-Saberi & M. Grim - On the
development of the human hand 405
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
Prof. Dr. R. McNeill Alexander
Dept. of Pure and Applied Zoology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.
Hans.Friedrich Bir
Chirurgische KIinik und Poliklinik, «Bergmannsheil Bochum» Universitiitsklinik, Gilsingstrasse 14,
D-4630 Bochum 1, FRG
Dr. Christopher Beard
Dept. of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, M.D.
New address: Section of Vertebrate Fossils, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave.,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Dr. Christophe Boesch
Ethologie und Wildforschung, Zoologisches Institut der Universitiit CH-8057 Ziirich, Ziirich
New address: Zoologisches Institut der Universitiit Basel, Rheinsprung 9, CH-4051 Basel, Switzer
land
Dr. Hedwige Boesch
Ethologie und Wildforschung, Zoologisches Institut der Universitiit CH-8057 Ziirich, Ziirich
New address: Zoologisches Institut der Universitiit Basel, Rheinsprung 9, CH-4051 Basel, Switzer
land
Dr. Beate Brand·Saberi
Institut fUr Anatomie, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum Gebiiude MA 5/148, D-4630 Bochum 1, FRG
New address: Abteilung Anatomie II, Anatomisches Institut der Albert-Ludwigs-Universitiit Frei
burg, Albertstrasse 17, D-7800 Freiburg LBr., FRG
Dr. Philippe Brenot
Laboratoire d'Anthropologie, Universite de Bordeaux I, F-33400 Talence, France
Dr. Christoph Buck
Abteilung Funktionelle Morphologie, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum, D-4630 Bochum 1, FRG
New address: Gyrenkampstrasse 5, D-4300 Essen-Werden, FRG
Prof. Dr. Bodo Christ
Abteilung Anatomie II, Anatomisches Institut der Albert-Ludwigs-Universitiit Freiburg, Albert
strasse 17, D-W-7800 Freiburg i.Br., FRG
Marianne Christel
Abteilung Funktionelle Morphologie, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum, D-4630 Bochum 1, FRG
New address: Hochkirchstrasse 5, D-1000 Berlin 62, FRG
Dr. Brigitte Demes
Dept. of ' Anatomical Sciences, Health Sciences Center, State University of New York at Stony
Brook, Stony Brook, N.Y. 11794-8081, USA
Dr. Erika Doden
KIinik fUr Mund-, Kiefer- und Gesichtschirurgie, Klinikum der Christian-Albrechts-Universitiit,
Arnold-Heller-Strasse 16, D-W-2300 Kiel 1, FRG
Dr. Jens Lorenz Franzen
Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-W-6000 Frankfurt a.M. 1, FRG
VIII UST OF CONTIDrnUTORS
Dr. Marc Godinot
Laboratoire de Paleontologie, Institute des Sciences de rEvolution, Universite Montpellier II, Place
Eugene Bataillon, F-34060 Montpellier, France
Dr. Milos Grim
Abteilung Anatomie II, Anatomisches Institut der Albert-Ludwigs-Universitiit Freiburg, Albert
strasse 17, D-7800 Freiburg LBr., FRG
Dr. Michael M. Giinther
Abteilung Funktionelle Morphologie, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum, D-4630 Bochum 1, FRG
New address: Dept. of Human Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Liverpool, P.O. Box 147,
Liverpool L69 3BX, U.K.
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang F. Gutmann
Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-6000 Frankfurt a.M. 1, FRG
Prof. Dr. Akita Ikeda
Dept. of Anatomy, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki City, Okayama 70101, Japan
Dr. Heinz Jiirgen Jacob
Abteilung Anatomie und Embryologie, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum, Gebiiude MA 6/30, D-4630
Bochum 1, FRG
Dr. Franfoise K. Jouffroy
Unite de Recherche Associee 1137, Laboratoire d'Anatomie Compare, M.N.H.N. Paris VII, 55, rue
Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France
Dr. Robert F. Ker
Dept. of Pure and Applied Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K.
Prof. Dr. Jiirgen Koebke
Anatomisches Institut der Universitiit K61n, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9, D-5000 K6ln 41, FRG
Prof. Dr. J.M.F. Landsmeer
Vakgroep Anatomie, Faculteit de Geneeskunde Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden
Wassenaarseweg 62, NL-2300 RC Leiden, Netherlands
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Maier
Lehrstuhl fUr Spezielle Zoologie, Institut fiir Biologie III, Universitiit Tiibingen, Auf der Morgen
stelle 28, D-7400 Tiibingen, FRG
Dr. Shin Matsumoto
Dept. of Anatomy, Kawasaki Medical School, Kuraschiki City, Okayama, 70101, Japan
Dr. Yoshihiko Nakano
Japan Monkey Centre, Institute and Museum of Primatology, Inuyama, Aichi 484, Japan
Dr. Ute Nieschalk
Abteilung Funktionelle Morphologie, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum, D-4630 Bochum 1, FRG
New address: Silberbachstrasse 5a, D-6239 Eppstein/Ts. 6, FRG
Prof. Dr. Holger Preuschoft
Abteilung Funktionelle Morphologie, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum, Gebiiude MA 0/44, D-4630 Bo
chum 1, FRG
Dr. Richard G. Rawlins
Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rush-Presbyterian, St. Luke's Medical Center, 1653 West
Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 61612, USA
Dr. M.E. Redshaw
Dept. of Child Health, Institute of Child Health, University of Bristol and Royal Hospital for Sick
Children, St. Michel's Hill, Bristol 52 U.K.
New address: 4, Northcote Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3HB, U.K.
h. G. Pauline Rijken-Rauwerdink
Vakgroep Funktionele Anatomie, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, Catharinjesingel 59, NL-3511 GG
Utrecht, Netherlands
UST OF CONTRIBUTORS IX
Dr. Sabine SchOneich
Abteilung fiir Verhaltensforschung, Zoologisches Institut der Westfalischen Wilhelms-Universitiit
Miinster, Badestrasse 9, D-4400 Miinster, FRG
New address: Deller Heide 15, D-W-4220 Dinslaken, FRG
Dr. Mark F. Teaford
Dept. of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 North
Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Dr. Naoto Umeda
Dept. of Anatomy, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki City, Okayama 70101, Japan
Prof. Dr. Alan Walker
Dept. of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 North
Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Introduction
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. It follows
that the animal who possesses this mutation has to arrange its life in such a way to make
optimal use of the character: that means to find a «niche». Most of the discussions about
adaptation, however, start off from the silent precondition that the niche exists first, and
the only thing the animal has to do is to adjust, or to "adapt" its body structure to the
requirements of that niche.
Second, if one asks to which «biological roles» and to which «functions» exactly the
hand in a given species is adapted, one finds oneself soon surrounded by numerous neither
very detailed, nor clear statements, and only few precise analyses. Many considerations
end up with NAPIER's discrimination and definition of power grip and precision grip -
which has turned out to be very useful in surgery - and the restating of man's
distinctiveness.
The use primates make of their hands seems to be incredibly variable. In a close-up
view, however, much of the variability is confined to situations in which the fingers of the
hand do not exert high forces, or, to put it in a positive way, in which the hands exert
forces below the maximal forces that can be produced. The same force which is exerted by
the hand against a part of the primate's environment evokes of course a «reaction force» of
the same size, but opposite direction from outside on the hand. It seems easy to
understand that a primate's hand must be able to sustain even the highest of the
«external» or reaction forces, to which it is normally exposed. «Normally» means, in
2 INTRODUCTION
events which occur daily, or once a week in the animal's life. The strength of the tissues
probably exceeds these necessities by a certain safety factor, which allows exposure in
cases of emergency to still higher forces than those occuring «normally». The resistence to
the external forces evokes inside the hand (as well as other parts of the locomotor
apparatus) «internal» forces, or mechanical «stresses».
The strength of body segments (and of the hand) reaches its limits by the weight of
the bony, ligamentous, tendinous, or muscular material necessary in view of limitations of
the strength properties inherent to the materials.
To sustain the highest internal forces with a minimum of material means being
adapted to a «normal function» (in a strict, mechanical sense). Evidently, locomotion, or
exerting a «power grip», evokes higher external forces against a hand than most sorts of
«precision handling». Therefore, we have to consider - in order to understand the
morphological adaptations of primate hands - first of all the way in which high forces are
applied to the hand in locomotion and power-involving behaviors.
Detailed, close-up analyses made earlier (PREUSCHOFT, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973,a,b,
1987) investigated the rdation between reaction forces, internal stress distribution and
shape. They also showed the shapes of primate hands to be easier understood as
adaptations to their specific locomotor behavior than to their precision handling. In short,
primates seem to acquire their hand shape with respect to locomotion and to make the
best of it when in the need of performing precise manipulations. This also explains the
variability of precision handling among species: a given shape dictates the way in which
the hand can be used.
As a whole, studies on the hand and upper extremity are much rarer than on the foot
and lower limb. This may be due to the lesser degree of specialisation of the human hand
in comparison to the foot. Another reason may be the tremendous variability of hand use,
which makes it difficult to identify the most characteristic functions, or ways in which the
hand is stressed. The characteristic features of the human hand are to a large extent
shared by the hands of other primates, and therefore alone it seems logical to approach the
human hand by looking into the details of hand function and hand morphology in non
human primates. In addition: evolution is a process, in which one functioning organism is
transformed into another. Therefore the result depends from the starting point of the
process. A comparison with the forelimbs of other mammals, or of lower vertebrates also
seems promising, since a well-known hypothesis interpretes the human hand as «primi
tive». All these aspects need a thourough reconsideration in view of our present know
ledge.
One prerequisite for making progress on this fidd is an intimate knowledge of hand
use in a variety of animals. Even basic informations about hand use in primates, which
could serve as a starting point for a better approach are rare. Only recently, some
knowledge is being accumulated, largdy through the great number of behavioral or fidd
studies on primates.
The other essential for approaching the problems mentioned is the detailed know
ledge of the anatomical structure <mand» and of the evolutionary pathway which led to its
present fortJil. Available is a bulk of descriptions of the anatomy, while the survey of
general metrics is incomplete. Whereas the anatomy of the hand is largdy known (though
not completdy), our knowledge of the variations (recent and phylogenetic) is still severdy
limited.
In view of this not very satisfactory situation some of the authors have met at the
Reisenburg in 1985 (sponsored by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) to collate and to
discuss the available information. It became evident, that there are two ways for further