"Man from the south"

The story “Man from the South” illustrates a bet between a “rich” man and a soldier. The rich man bets the soldier that he cannot strike his lighter 10 times to successfully light a cigar. In exchange, the rich man is willing to bet his wife’s car. The young soldier is not yet wealthy, so the rich man proposes that he should bet his little finger. Hesitantly, the soldier agrees. Both men are interrupted during their bet, but let’s talk about how this bet could have significantly affected the soldier’s ability to participate in meaningful occupations.

If the soldier had lost the bet, he would have a significant decrease in grip strength as a result of the loss of his pinky finger. This can affect occupations such as driving, cooking (ex. opening jars), and carrying heavy objects. These activities can be modified by increasing the soldier’s grip strength with the fingers that are remaining. He could also benefit from a modified slip-on assistive device to replace the pinky, such as a hook. The loss of his finger could also disturb the psychosocial aspect of the soldier’s life. Adjusting to life without a pinky can cause mental stress. The soldier could learn new ways to cope by modifying and participating in activities that are meaningful to him. The rich man’s wife had also lost several fingers to bets of her husband. The wife could increase independence by using an extended shoehorn, elastic shoestrings, and assistive buttoning devices. The wife has a car, so she may benefit from a thinner or thicker steering wheel or a steering wheel with less resistance while turning. These modifications would assist her in dressing and driving, two important occupations in our everyday lives.