PWD Special Investigation: Thumbs

Yesterday’s story about the boy who had his toe transplanted to replace his late thumb pretty much elicited the same reaction from anyone who saw it. Everyone was in awe of the kid’s good spirits and the technological marvel of the operation, but we all also wanted to know just how the boy would live with a toe replacing where his thumb used to be. Doesn’t it look weird?

Well, sure, a little, but apparently no weirder than actual, live human thumbs. While tossing around the ol’ pigskin at the Philadelphia Will Do Devil’s Pocket bureau yesterday (read: a friend’s house), the thumb story came up, and a friend of mine was like, “My thumbs look like toes.”

It was time for a pseudoscientific experiment. Using the photo of the thumb-toe, my friend’s actual thumb and my thumb (the control variable), we made up this chart for your perusal:

Conclusion: Sure, the transplanted toe kind of looks like a toe, but clearly there are thumbs that look more like toes than it. Thankfully, this kid in Jersey’s gonna be okay.

Yesterday: Losing 3 Fingers Does Not Make One Forget 9/11