While freezing my face on my way home yesterday, I pondered the necessity of pinkie fingers for humans. It seems as if they just exist as relics of our primate past. They also don't seem needed for everyday tasks. However, it turns out that the pinkie finger is responsible for 50% of grip strength, with the ring finger picking the rest. The index and ring fingers are used for precision tasks, such as zipping up zippers, sewing, or holding a fork. For tightly gripping a hammer or a screwdriver, though, a pinkie is very important.
An NFL player's decision to have his pinkie amputated due to an illness sparked this conversations on ESPN.
Also, there is a page that says essentially the same thing, but with more info on pinkie shape linked to autism. If you don't mind the 1999-style web design, feel free to look.
So, that covers pinkie fingers. How about toes? Do we actually need all five?
A study by Janet Hughes in the Journal of Bone and Joint surgery shines light on this issue. The study examined how 160 participants put pressure on different points on their feet while walking or standing.
Apparently, about a third of us don't even use the 5th toe while standing. The pinkie, understandably, also doesn't play as large a role in walking as the rest of the toes. The large toe bears the brunt of the pressure when one takes a step, with the 2nd and 3rd toes proving a large part of the force needed for balance. Once again, the pinkie is slacking. On average, the study found that about 6% of support comes from the little toe. This shows that we do use our pinkie toe for balance, but if one were to lose the toe, one would adapt to the situation and still be able to stand up and walk, putting more pressure on other parts of the foot or other toes.
You can read the entire article here.
In a worst case scenario, given the choice between losing the pinkie finger, or toe, toe would have to go.
