Babinski's hand sign: many have tried…

Abstract

Recognizing the semiologic importance of the second, and most famous, sign described by Joseph Babinski – the extension of the hallux after stimulation of the plantar region in order to differentiate organic from pithiatic paralysis– several authors have tried to find a comparable signal in the hand. After 122 years, no one has succeeded.

Louis Jacobsohn-Lask (1863–1940)

“…This reflex, observed in pyramidal disorders, is characterized by extension and abduction of the thumb when pressure is applied distally on the radial edge of the forearm. It is also referred to as the Bekhterev–Jacobsohn reflex [ 8 , 9 ].…”