The human hand is a marvel of biological engineering, containing 27 bones, including the delicate phalanges and the robust metacarpals. Tendons, ligaments, and muscles provide a balance between strength and flexibility, and a dense network of nerves make the hand one of the most sensitive and precise tools in the human body.
Hands often reflect a person’s life and experiences. Calloused hands may tell the story of a labourer, while ink-stained fingers might belong to a writer or artist. The hand’s physical appearance can serve as a map of a person’s work, age and even emotions.
The Adrian E. Flatt, MD Hand Collection is a unique and somewhat bizarre exhibit that showcases life-cast moulds of the hands of prominent figures from various fields, including medicine, science, politics, sports and the arts. Created by Dr Adrian Flatt, a distinguished orthopedic surgeon and professor, the collection emphasises the symbolic and functional significance of hands in shaping human history and achievements. Flatt believed that hands are a reflection of individuality and the life work of their owners.
The habit of taking hand casts began with Flatt’s decision to mould the hands of his patients so he could plan his surgeries. Then, in the 1950s, Flatt began making plaster moulds of his fellow surgeons’ hands. From these plaster moulds, he would create detailed casts as an exercise to prove that there was no such thing as “typical” surgeon’s hands.
Flatt expanded his collection during the 1960s, when he began casting more and more notable hands. The combination of a novel and somewhat flattering request, with the skills of a passionate and persuasive man is clearly hard to beat.
Flatt created the moulds using the same type of resin used in the creation of dental composites. His subjects would place their hands in a shoe box which he would fill with resin.
Soon, he had collected bronze models from such 20th century giants as Walt Disney, Dwight Eisenhower, Mickey Mantle and Doctor Seuss. The collection continued to grow as Flatt gathered castings from subjects across a number of professions such as composers and astronauts. The collection has been on display at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas since 1982, when Flatt began working there. The collection also includes historical hand casts of Abraham Lincoln, created in 1860.
The most interesting set of mitts in the collection? Our vote would be for the enormous hands of André the Giant [RR1:53], looming large and encased in a corner cabinet. No shoe box was ever going to be able to enclose those puppies, so Flatt used a box that had previously contained a Stetson cowboy hat.
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Flatt_hand_collection
chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/slideshow/Dallas-hand-collection
atlasobscura.com/places/adrian-e-flatt-m-d-hand-collection
outofoffice.us/2017/07/flatt-hand-collection
Images
1. Adrian E. Flatt, MD Hand Collection
2. Dr Flatt with casts of abnormal hands
3. Hand abnormalities
4. Presidential hands. Credit: Russell Smith
5. Dr Seuss hands, Credit: Russell Smith
6. Sporty hands
7. Louis Armstrong's hands
8. Astronaut hands. Credit: Russell Smith
9. Abraham Lincoln hands
10. André the Giant's hands. Credit: outofoffice.us
11. Video: "The Adrian E. Flatt, M.D. Hand Collection" The Texas Bucket List, 2016
