WHY SHOULD A DEFORMED, ANESTHETIC, FUNCTIONLESS HAND BE WANTED

A 58-year-old woman presented at a disability assessment tribunal with a severely deformed left forearm. She had broken the arm 25 years pre viously and the infected open fracture had not healed. There were no s ensory or motor functions in the hand, which the patient kept constant ly hidden in her garments. The question of an amputation was raised an d the advantages of modern prosthetics with respect to cosmesis and fu nction failed to convince the patient that she might benefit from such surgery. One questions why a patient should want to retain this cumbe rsome, obviously embarrassing, burden and whether the question of surg ery should have been raised.