Of Finger Nails and Pangolins

On the Friday before Father's Day, I broke a good part of my right thumb nail.  What you never realize, until something like this happens, is how important a nail on a finger is.  This seemingly innocuous piece of the body obviously has a purpose, and you quickly find that out when it gets broken.  Little things matter. Yet there is a connection between our finger nails and an animal on the verge of extinction.

The uneven  fingernail break was so far down I was unable to cut it off far enough to get rid of the sharp edge.  As the finger nail started to grow back the sharp edge would get caught on clothing and would further break.  Finally, this week it started to break again, but I found that it had grown sufficiently for me to cut it straight to get rid of the jagged edge.  Yet, it is still not to my desired length.  I never realized how important it was to every day activities, like flossing your teeth, getting your keys in and out of your pocket, and other mundane tasks. It was hard to untie knots when you lack a thumb nail in which to help grab and pull out part of the rope, cord or string.

Pangolin

Fingernails are primarily composed of a hardened protein called keratin.  This protein is also found in our hair and skin. While our skin is supple and malleable, to a degree, the scales of African and Asian pangolins that cover much of their body, but for the soft underbelly, are also composed of keratin.  Rhino horns are also composed of the same compound.  Yet, pangolins and rhinos are losing their battle with humans due to illegal hunting.  In Africa the pangolins are often a delicacy, and in Asia their numbers have dwindled to such a large degree that Asians, particularly the Chinese have an illicit trade involving pangolins.  Pangolin scales are said to be prized in certain Chinese traditional medicinal products.  However, an eastern medicine expert, as reported in National Geographic (06 2019) believes that pangolin scales can be easily replaced by other items that do not cause death to an animal.  While China has banned the import of the pangolins, they often look the other way, so while illegal it is allowed.  I suppose saying it is illegal is a way for them to garner favor with Western democracies. Another occasion where one cannot trust the Chinese, and where they are, yet again, the major country leading to the extermination of another animal.

Demand for Pangolin Scales has put the animal on
the path to extinction

Rhinoceroses are killed simply for their horn.  Why?  Because the Chinese and other Asian cultures view them as an aphrodisiac.  Given that fingernails, pangolin scales and rhino horns are primarily composed of keratin, whey can they not simply gather finger nails and crush them for use in their traditional medicines to increase their sexual desires.  Why kill a rhino or a pangolin?  The neat thing about fingernails is that most people keep them trimmed so there would be plenty of supply.

The next time I trim my fingernails, or break one, I should find some traditional Chinese medicine source and send it to them as keratin for their concoctions.  Or, better yet some sex shop in China could sell fingernails to serve in lieu of rhino horn extract.  Who  would have thought that there was a connection between an animal that is more like an armadillo or anteater would share something in common with the human finger?