Section 1 7 — Dermatoglyphics 



types of finger prints (according to form) which 

 until now could only be accorded qualitative 

 values. These qualitative values enable us to 

 establish the matrix of correlations between 

 fingers by the classical method. 



The fingers have a particular structure which 

 can be shown by giving that each finger x expresses 

 itself by linear combinations of some orthogonal 



factors 



p 



Xi=zl ajeF e 



e = i 



By appropriate rotations, the different group- 

 ings of fingers can be located in the space of the 

 factors. 



This work has been done from a sample of 

 some 7000 French offenders whose finger prints 

 are analysed according to four types of patterns: 

 Arc, Radial Loop, Cubital Loop, Whorl. 



17.9. Some Remarks on the Study of Finger Ridge 

 Count. Lucienne Pee-Laborde and Luu 

 Mac Thanh (Paris, France). 



Owing to its quantitative value, the finger 

 ridge count of patterns lends itself readily to 

 statistical analysis. 



The utilization of finger ridge count, a some- 

 what too simple index, can give rise to certain 

 difficulties when an overall study is made relating 

 to fingers, patterns and individuals as a whole. 

 There are, in fact, several different populations 

 following each type of pattern or each finger . . . 

 These superpositions are discernible on the 

 frequency distribution curves. 



A sample of finger prints of some hundred 

 French subjects was analysed by counting the 

 ridges and distinguishing between the different 

 forms of patterns, which has enabled us to make 

 a critical study of the two methods. 



17.10. R L Symmetry and Asymmetry of Angles atd, 

 at'd, at'd and at p d and the Corresponding R 

 minus L difference in the Burman Males (400) — 

 A Probable Explanation of Serations. Abhi- 

 manyu Sharma (New Delhi, India). 



The study reveals "assumed" symmetry 

 (0° or — 2° difference between R and L) that 

 shows the gradation as t p (230/400 = 57.50 per 

 cent)— 1(116/229 = 50.66 per cent)— 1'( 89/240 = 

 37.08 per cent)— 1"( 12/71= 16.90 per cent) 

 whereas total asymmetry (ranging from — 31" to 

 —3° and +3° to +20°) shows it as t p (159/400 = 

 39.75 per cent)— 1"( 19/71 =26.76 per cent)— t' 



(56/240= 23.33 per cent)— 1(3 1/229= 13.54 per 

 cent). These figures are understandable for 

 t, t', t" but t p ranking number one appears 

 problematic only initially. Its clue lies in the 

 incidence of "indeterminate" cases (N or ?) 

 that show the gradation as t" (40/71 = 56.34 per 

 cent)— 1'(95/240= 39.58 per cent)— 1(82/229 = 

 35.81 per cent)— t p (l 1/400= 2.75 per cent) which 

 is indicative of fairly high incidence at t, t', t" 

 (from 35.81 per cent to 56.34 per cent) relative to 

 only 2.75 per cent at t p ! High incidence of 

 symmetry at t p may be explained by taking 

 example of a person whose right shows only one 

 axial triradius t but located very close to t'- 

 segment (Sharma, 1961a: E 111; 1962a: in the 

 press) while his left shows only one as t' but 

 located fairly close to t-segment implying thereby 

 that both are near borderline cases between 

 t and t' -segments. It is indeterminate for two 

 categories, angles atd as well as at'd, but not if the 

 distalmost axial triradius t p (Penrose, 1949, vide 

 Penrose 1954: 10-11) is considered ignoring 

 threefold distinction between t' and t". Differ- 

 ences of to : 2 (up to 2° in excess either in 

 rights or lefts) will add to the incidence of 

 "assumed" symmetry while 3° to that of 

 asymmetry. Angle atd shows the least extent of 

 morphologically-evidenced fluctuation relative to 

 that shown by Angles at'd and at" d that can be 

 explained in geometrical terms. 



17.11. The Palmar Dermatoglyphics of a Group of 

 People of Lazio (Italy), and Some Remarks on 

 Methodology. G. Alciati (Rome, Italy). 



The results of the examination of the palmar 

 dermatoglyphics of 320 individuals, all born at 

 Pofi, district of Frosinone (South Lazio), are 

 here exposed. The study was performed in 

 compliance with the "revised methods" (Cum- 

 mins et al., 1929) and is demonstrative of the 

 fact that the palmar epidermal ridges of the 

 above-mentioned group show a behaviour 

 similar to that of other European groups which 

 are already known in literature, both for their 

 mainly transverse direction and for their per- 

 centage frequency of patterns in the five palmar 

 areas. 



The palmar prints were moreover examined 

 following application of the new method which 

 was introduced by the author during the Ilnd 

 International Conference of Human Genetics 

 (Rome, 1961); the results thus obtained were 

 compared with those derived from the above 

 mentioned "revised methods": a close relation- 

 ship was noticed, wherefrom the author draws 

 the cue for some practical considerations. 



317 



