402 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Although, as given in all of the above illustrations, the natural 

 order of sequence in the four designations of each formula is from the 

 line A to line D, it happens that of the four, A is the most uncertain 

 in its interpretation, and is the only one concerning the designation 

 of which differences of opinion would be likely to occur. It is unfor- 

 tunate to begin with this especial one and thus be liable to be put on 

 the wrong track at the outset, and it appears to be better to reverse 

 each formula, beginning with line D. and ending with A. This 

 would lead to a rearrangement, not only of each formula which would 

 be simply reversed, but also of the order of sequence of the whole, so 

 that the nine formula used above would become rearranged as follows : 



in which a given formula would be as easily found as in the other 

 order, with the advantage of having the uncertain designation in the 

 fourth place instead of in the first. 



Of course it can not be known, at least as yet, what is the total 

 number of main line formulce which occur in the human hand, but in 

 this regard the following table will be of interest, which gives in the 

 regular order of sequence the formulae of the hands of 100 American 

 female college students, 100 rights and 100 lefts, and shows the number 

 of times each formula occurs in each hand. 



Table I. 



By this it will be seen that the total number of formulae represented 

 in the 200 hands is Gl, that there are 48 separate formulae in the left 

 hands and but 38 in the right. Of the 48 left hand formulse 23 do 

 not occur in the right, and of the 38 right hand formulas 13 are not 

 found in the left, 25 being common to both. The commonest formula 



