358 
A Study of the Hand 
(6) Our last series of correlations will be between the corresponding bones of 
both hands. 
We may arrange these in a single table as follows, adding the results obtained 
by Whiteley and Pearson for the first joint of the living finger: 
TABLE XXII. 
Perns of Corresponding Bones in two Hands. 
Bone 
Number 
Thumb 
Index 
Middle 
Eing 
Little 
Metacarpal 
39 
•974 + -006 
•990 + -002 
•985 + •OOS 
•946+ •on 
•955 + •OlO 
Proximal Phalanx 
41 
•944 ±-008 
•938 + -013 
•952 + ^010 
•948 + ^011 
•9,34 + ^0 14 
Middle Phalanx 
41 
•882 + -023 
•908 + ^019 
•959 + ^009 
•874 + ^025 
Distal Phalanx 
37 
•796 + -041 
•793+ 041 
•852 + •OSO 
•899 + ^021 
•863 + ^028 
Total Bone Length 
44 
•945 + -012 
•975 ± •ooe 
•971 ± •ooe 
•976 ±^005 
•960 ±-009 
First Joint 
551 
•925 + ^004 
•934f004 
•929f004 
•904f005 
It would thus appear that the metacarpal bones and the proximal phalanges of 
the two hands are more highly correlated than the first joints of the two hands in 
the case of the thumb and all the fingers. Further the correlation seems to 
decrease for each finger as we pass down from metacarpal to distal phalanx. Lastly, 
the middle and ring fingers of the two hands are on the whole more closely 
correlated than the thumb, index and little fingers. Or, the principle that the 
" marginal digits " exhibit less correlation than the " central digits " remains true, 
if instead of correlating different bones of the same digit of the same hand, we 
correlate the same bones of the same digits of different hands. It will be noted 
that the correlations of right and left metacarpal bones are as high as, if not higher 
than, the values which have been obtained for the right and left long bones of the 
human skeleton*. 
(7) Concluding Remarks. 
In drawing general conclusions we must at once warn the reader to notice 
again the size of our probable errors. We look upon the present study as one of 
suggestion rather than of definite statistical proof Until we have at least 250 to 
500 pairs of hand skeletons measured we cannot draw absolutely definite conclu- 
sions. We shall consider our arithmetical labours, great as they have been, amply 
repaid, if they lead to further bone measurements, so that the excellent work of 
* Warren : Phil. Trans. Vol. 189, B, p. 178. Whiteley and Pearson : B. S. Proc. Vol. 65, p. 13'2. 
