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Biomedical subjects

J V Kemble

Publications and source records attributed to J V Kemble.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Man's hand in evolution.

In developmental terms, the human hand is at the same time both specialised and primitive. Its manipulative ability, though somewhat better than that of the apes and monkeys, has lost strength compared with hands of recently extinct species of Man, and shows some evolutionary characteristics seen in reptiles of 250 million years ago. Its evolution, as presently understood, is described.

Biological Evolution

Functional disability in the rheumatoid hand.

The investigation of sixty-one rheumatoid patients relates their hand function to measured hand deformity. Certain deformities are related to a reduction in function; others are not. The dominant hand, used more frequently, deteriorates more quickly than the non-dominant. The benefit on hand function of synovectomy is limited in duration and should be accompanied by some procedure to defer or correct deformity. Study of the metacarphophalangeal joints by radiography and at operation shows that degeneration starts where the metacarpal head first loses articulation with the base of the phalanx, and spreads out from there across the metacarpal head as deformity increases.

Adult

Enzyme activity in human scars, hypertrophic scars and keloids.

Biopsies from non-hypertrophic and hypertrophic scars and from normal skin have been studied histochemically for activities of nicotanamide adenine dinucleotide diaphorase, lactate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, beta-D glucuronidase and alkaline phosphatase. The activities of all enzymes studied except alkaline phosphatase were found to be increased in hypertrophic scars as compared with non-hypertrophic scars and normal skin.

Acid Phosphatase