BOOK REVIEW : The Grasping Hand
Amit Gupta , MD , and Makoto Tamai , MD , editors Thieme , 2021
The Grasping Hand
Structural and Functional Anatomy of the Hand and Upper Extremity
Amit Gupta Makoto Tamai
I
will open this review with a disclaimer : I am one of the authors of this text . Just the same , I am immensely proud to have been a part of this monumental , 20-year effort on our part ( Dr . Amit Gupta and Dr . Makato Tamai ). This text marries exquisite , high-resolution photography with text accompaniment , taking the reader on a journey through the structural and functional anatomy of the upper limb .
Hand surgery is a newcomer on the surgical scene , coming about in the early 20th century as anesthetic and medical advances permitted safe excursions into deeper reaches of human anatomy . The first text on functional and surgical anatomy of the hand is Infections of the Hand , by Allen Kanavel , from 1912 . Sterling Bunnell crafted his monumental Surgery of the Hand in 1944 , followed by David Green ’ s 1982 Operative Hand Surgery . Bunnell and Green created compendia of surgical care of the hand .
In terms of anatomic exposition , Emanuel Kaplan ’ s 1953 Functional and Surgical Anatomy of the Hand , Lee Milford ’ s 1968 Retaining Ligaments of the Digits of the Hand , Eduardo Zancolli ’ s Structural and Dynamic Bases of Hand Surgery ( also 1968 ), J . M . F .
20 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
reviewed by DAVID TATE , MD
Landsmeer ’ s 1976 Atlas of Anatomy of the Hand and Zancolli and Cozzi ’ s 1992 Atlas of Surgical Anatomy of the Hand are notable successors to Kanavel . For the 21st century , Gupta and Tamai have bestowed upon us The Grasping Hand .
Drs . Gupta and Tamai - who first caught Dr . Gupta ’ s eye by the exquisite delicacy of his dissections - produced this monumental work with the help of many , many hand surgeons beginning with the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center , and reaching out to a legion of colleagues who shared and evaluated photographs and text . They have dedicated this book to two of their most influential mentors , as noted :
Dr . Harold E . Kleinert ( October 7 , 1921 – September 28 , 2013 ).
Dr . Harold Kleinert taught us anatomy and hand surgery . But he taught us much more than that . He taught us the value of hard work , humility , true patient care , humanity , patience and perseverance . His advice for all his students was “ be able , be amiable and be available ” for the patient .
Dr . Robert D . Acland ( June 20 , 1941 – January 6 , 2016 )
Dr . Robert Acland had two famous sayings that have affected our thinking deeply . The first is : “ Preparation is the only shortcut you will ever need .” The second is : “ The anatomical structures are