Harris Hawthorne Wilder 



431 



The morphology of the sole follows closely that of the palm aud may 

 be interpreted in the same way, as a comparison between Figs. 1 and 2 

 and Fig. 6 will show. In the sole, however, the general course of the 

 ridges is from an outer distal to an inner proximal direction, the oppo- 

 site to that of the palm, thus causing the plantar areas (the equivalent 

 of the palmar of the hand), wherever they attain the margin, as in 

 Fig. 6, to open upon the inner, instead of the outer margin, and thus inter- 

 pose themselves hehveen tJie tJienar and hypothenar areas, which are there- 

 fore not in contact ivith one another, as in the palm. Other peculiarities 

 characteristic of the sole are : (1) the enormous lengthening of the foot 

 in the direction of the heel, an extent which seems to belong morpho- 

 logically to the hypothenar area; (2) the more or less constant ap]iear- 

 ance of accessory triradii at the lower or jDroximal ends of the areas. 



Fig. 4. Fig. .5. 



Third palmar area circumscribed. Third and 



Fig. 3. 



Fig. 3. — Right hand. Traciui 

 fourth palmar lines confluent. 



Fig. 4. — Right hand. Tracing. Second and fourth palmar lines confluent, cir- 

 cumscribing the second and third palmar areas. 



Fig. 5. — Right hand. Tracing. Palmar lines as in Fig. 4. Three palmar areas 

 and hypothenar provided with pattei-ns. 



the lines from which may or may not coincide with those drawn from 

 the upper set; (3) an almost constant appearance of the thenar pattern, 

 sometimes with one, sometimes with two triradii of its own, thus 

 corresponding to the two forms of finger-tip patterns of Galton; (4) the 

 greater frequency of appearance of plantar (= palmar) patterns, and 

 (5) an occasional case of confluence between two adjacent digital 

 areas. All of these peculiarities are atavistic and thus correspond to 

 the greater conservatism in structure and in use shown by the foot in 

 comparison with the hand. 



I have thus far interpreted a somewhat smaller number of soles than 

 of palms (76 soles, 100 palms), but thus far I have found no deviation 



