ENGRAFTED FINGERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 408, 5 July 1881, Page 3

ENGRAFTED FINGERS.

Dr Ban ton, of Cleveland, Ohio, is credited with having discovered how to transfer ger belonging to one human person 'to another individual’s hand, so that it shall grow there and perform the functions of a finger to the manner born. It is further said that having induced two men to consentjo an exchange of fingers by his process, be effected the transfer to successfully that both digits are now acting quite as well as they did before the transplantation. Let it be so accepted ; we do not care to question the authenticity of any story coming from the United .States. But what practical profit does Dr Banton hope to extract from his remarkable discovery? There are, certainly, the “ pickers up of unconsidered,” ■who go by the name of “ light-fingered gentry," It would be goo i for both of them and for society if more honest digits could be engrafted on their felonious fists. But who would be found willing to make the exchange 1 Philanthrcphy is a potent influence, we know ; but wo donbt whether even its most thcrough-going professors would care tc exchange fingers with unphilantrophic rascaldom, for the reformation of the latter. The same difficulty would be met vith at every turn ; successful painters, musical performers, watchmakers, and all, indeed who owe much to the dextirifcy of their fingers, would draw back in aorror at the idea of " swopping " with th» unsuccess- | ful. We would therefore luggest to Dr [ Banton that he should now set bis intelligent mind to the invention of artificial fingers for engrafting on (he hands of those whose “bunches of fives" fail to give satisfection.