Acheiria

/eɪˈkaɪriə/ noun

Definition

A neurological condition or loss of sensation in the hands, or the absence or loss of hands as a birth defect.

Etymology

From Greek 'a-' (without) plus 'cheir' (hand) with the medical suffix '-ia', describing a medical condition involving the hands or their function.

Kelly Says

Acheiria shows up in medieval medical texts as both an actual birth defect and a phantom limb sensation—doctors were trying to understand how the brain creates the sense of our hands even when they're gone.

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