Interesting; so it sounds like rather than ignoring how thumbs work (like computer keyboards) they choose to take advantage of the thumb's superior strength rather than its flexibility.
Right. It probably also has to do with the fact that it's optimized for speed. The thumb is flexible, but not particularly fast. Many of the thumb keys on the bassoon are for notes that aren't played often, or alternate fingerings that are more in tune than the standard ones, and can be swapped out for other fingerings when speed is required.
