"Man from the South"

"Man from the South" discusses a bet that takes place between an older gentleman from South America and a young naval cadet from America. The South American man bets the young cadet that he cannot light his lighter 10 times in a row. If the South American man is right, then he gets to cut off the boy's pinky finger. If the boy wins, then he gets the South American man's Cadillac.

In the story, the South American states that the pinky finger would be something that the young boy could "afford to give away" and if the boy did happen to lose it, he "would not feel too bad". While the boy could eventually learn to perform his activities of daily living without a pinky and at some point might not feel too bad without it, he would definitely miss his pinky at first. A person's little finger accounts for a major portion of grip strength and power, which would be extremely important as a naval cadet.

Some of the activities that the young boy might perform as a naval cadet are tying knots and handling firearms. The young boy in the story is also swimming before he encounters the South American man, so swimming would be an activity that would also be impacted by the loss of his little finger. If the young boy were to lose his little finger, he would need to immediately begin a therapy plan to improve grip strength and fine motor control of his remaining fingers so that he can continue tying knots and using his firearm. While the boy could still swim without his little finger, the power behind the stroke on his left hand might be significantly reduced. To make up for this loss, an OT could recommend the use of swimming hand paddles. The boy could also learn new ways to tie his usual knots by using his 9 remaining fingers and possibly incorporating his mouth if needed. For the firearm, the boy could learn new ways to grasp it safely with both hands to still ensure control.