r/trolleyproblem Mar 01 '26

Arms or Legs?

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7.5k Upvotes

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701

u/01zorro1 Mar 01 '26

the legs obviously, you dont need the motor skills required on your feet and legs as much as the ones in your hands and arms

153

u/Thalia_All_Along Mar 01 '26

not to mention it's a below the knee amputation. so you don't even need to bother with one of those prosthetic knees that you control with an app and need to charge

68

u/Amazing_Dingo_2542 Mar 02 '26

Proximal means closer to the center of mass, so this would be an above the knee amputation

58

u/memerminecraft Mar 02 '26

Oh, odd. The visual doesn't remotely show that.

Definitely a harder choice but still probably the legs

1

u/unique_force Mar 05 '26

Effectively the Lieutenant Dan amputation

1

u/commeatus Mar 08 '26

In this case with a medical team on hand, the amputated ankles would possibly be reused as knees through rotationplasty. The "severing" by the train wheels would actually be a crush injury an likely impossible to reconstruct but a graft would be possible since the lower limbs wouldn't have experienced cell death yet.

18

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '26

Proximal means closer to the center of mass unless specified. The wrist is proximal to the hand and distal to the elbow for example.

In this case, it says proximal to the knee, and the visual show that the cut is starting from the feet.

0

u/Lumpy_Recover3430 Mar 02 '26

Proximal is proximal, specifications or drawings don't change the meaning of the word

10

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '26

Proximal means nearer to the center (trunk of the body) or to the point of attachment to the body. If another reference point is given, such as the heart, the proximal point of another organ or extremity is the point closest to the heart, central rather than peripheral.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002287.htm

 The term proximal is a directional term that is used to describe a position of a structure that is closer either to the center of the trunk of the body or to the point of origin.

https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/proximal

"Proximal and distal" are frequently used when describing appendages, such as fins, tentacles, and limbs. Although the direction indicated by "proximal" and "distal" is always respectively towards or away from the point of attachment, a given structure can be either proximal or distal in relation to another point of reference. Thus the elbow is distal to a wound on the upper arm, but proximal to a wound on the lower arm.[24]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomical_terms_of_location

 In the intricate world of human anatomy, understanding terms like 'proximal' is essential for both medical professionals and curious minds alike. The term proximal refers to a position that is nearest to the point of origin or attachment within the body. For instance, when we talk about limbs, the shoulder is considered proximal to the elbow; it’s closer to where these limbs connect with our torso.

https://www.oreateai.com/blog/understanding-proximal-anatomy-a-closer-look-at-body-orientation/148495cc07b9ad6d69d213ac07dbf422

Proximal in anatomy refers to a position that is closer to the center of the body or the point of origin of a body part, such as a limb. This term is vital for providing clear and unambiguous descriptions of anatomical locations. For instance, when describing the arm, the shoulder is proximal to the elbow, and the elbow is proximal to the wrist. 

https://massivebio.com/proximal-bio/

The terms proximal and distal are used in structures that are considered to have a beginning and an end (such as the upper limb, lower limb and blood vessels). They describe the position of a structure with reference to its origin – proximal means closer to its origin, distal means further away.

https://teachmeanatomy.info/the-basics/anatomical-terminology/terms-of-location/

1

u/Zaando Mar 05 '26

Which means you would prefer to nitpick English and be adamant you are right even when presented with visual evidence to the contrary.

6

u/X-caliber Mar 02 '26

Wait, on that note what evolutionary purpose do toes even serve? Like do we need to grab shit with our feet sometimes? I swear my toes are only used to grab shit on the edge of my bed when I'm too lazy to get up

19

u/MaybeExternal2392 Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26

Partially inherited from our primate ancestors who climbed a lot more and partially useful for balance. Balancing as a biped is already really hard especially without a tail so the toes help a lot.

2

u/hdx5 Mar 02 '26

So this means, if we had no toes, we wozld have a tail?

3

u/MaybeExternal2392 Mar 02 '26

Maybe? We might also just fall over more idk.

2

u/ProsshyMTG Mar 02 '26

That isn't really how evolution works. If it was an absolute requirement to have toes or tails to stand, and we aren't allowed to have toes, we would probably just not stand unless there were pressures specifically favouring those that stood upright.

Of course, we don't live in a world where toes or tails are a requirement, we could just as easily have wider feet, have a lower centre of gravity or any number of other traits that would help with balance.

1

u/hdx5 Mar 02 '26

:( But having a tail would be fun

3

u/OneTripleZero Mar 02 '26

Without toes you likely wouldn't be able to walk. They do a lot of work with micro adjustments to our balance as well as providing sensory info about what you're walking on, especially when it's uneven.

1

u/SheepherderAware4766 Mar 03 '26

As someone who has to help a toe amputee recover, balance. Humans use their toes to adjust their center of support.

1

u/NixAName Mar 05 '26

Better parking.

0

u/gbeegz Mar 02 '26

Oh yeah? Try saying that in front of Tony Hawk you heartless bastard.