It would, in
fact, be unworthy of serious refutation, except for the general and
natural belief that deliberate and reiterated assertions must have some
foundation.
Before we can discuss the first point with advantage we must consider
with some attention, and compare together, the structure of the human
hand and that of the human foot, so that we may have distinct and clear
ideas of what constitutes a hand and what a foot.
The external form of the human hand is familiar enough to every one. It
consists of a stout wrist followed by a broad palm, formed of flesh,
and tendons, and skin, binding together four bones, and dividing into
four long and flexible digits, or fingers, each of which bears on the
back of its last joint a broad and flattened nail. The longest cleft
between any two digits is rather less than half as long as the hand.
From the outer side of the base of the palm a stout digit goes off,
having only two joints instead of three; so short, that it only reaches
to a little beyond the middle of the first joint of the finger next it;
and further remarkable by its great mobility, in consequence of which
it can be directed outwards, almost at a right angle to the rest.
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