Biomechanics - Man from the South

The “Man from the South” was quite an unusual story. The story took place in Jamaica, with an older man and an American cadet. The man bet the soldier that he couldn’t light his lighter ten times in a row. If he won the bet, the man would give him his Cadillac. If he lost, the man would have to cut the soldier’s left pinky finger off. In the middle of the bet, the man’s wife rushed in the room and ended the challenge. She stated that he had a history of cutting off fingers and giving away cars. The Cadillac was actually her car, and when she went to grab the keys from the Jamaican man, he noticed she only had one finger and a thumb.

A soldier’s daily routine most likely consist of getting ready and completing ADLs, physical work or training, operating machinery, and participating in meaningful activities. If the soldier lost the bet, he would face many challenges in his daily routine. Losing his pinky would impact his ability to brush his teeth and hair, cook, eat, and operate any machinery during training. His occupation of being a soldier would be effected, because he would need therapy to regain grip strength and relearn how to complete his everyday task. To regain his independence, modifications can be made to help him operate machinery. Instead of holding the machinery (using grip strength) he can set things down on the ground or table to have more control. Adaptive equipment can also be used to help him complete his ADLs, such as a using a tooth brush or hair brush with a larger handle.

We can assume that the wife not only takes care of herself, but is also a caretaker for the man. Only having one finger and a thumb has a major impact on her ability to complete her occupations. She most likely has a hard time getting ready, cooking, and driving her Cadillac. To regain her independence, she can use adaptive equipment similar to the soldier, to complete self-care activities. She could also benefit from driving therapy and get personal adaptions/modifications done to her Cadillac to help make driving easier.