Dermatoglyphic characters and physique: A correlation study

Abstract

The association of anthropometrics, particularly hand measurements, with dermatoglyphic characters is quantified. Children with square hands exhibit higher main line indices, a‐b ridge counts, and more open atd angles. Adults with broader hands have more arches. Taller individuals with larger hands present higher a‐b ridge counts and leaner subjects with long narrow hands, closer atd angles. The correlation of physique and dermatoglyphics is small but if verified, suggests that at early fetal stages, factors responsible for the establishment of dermatoglyphic patterns interact with genetic determinants of adult shape that are already active. Copyright © 1982 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company