A toe instead of a thumb

This year marks the 60th anniversary of "toe transfer", a technique that involves grafting a toe to rebuild a lost thumb. Little known to the general public, it has nevertheless changed the lives of thousands of people, including Mike Aeschlimann, who had his five fingers amputated ten years ago after a work accident. This ingenious and essential transplant restores the thumb's ability to grip and pinch. In Switzerland, fewer than a dozen operations are carried out each year, a rare surgery but one that restores precious autonomy.