40 
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
No. 98 is due chiefly to the metacarpal bone. The hand, measured from 
the carpal end of the radius to the tip of the first finger, has an average 
length of 5J inches in the men and 5pg in the women. 
Markings — The skin creases are peculiar. Each finger shows only one 
crease, corresponding to the space between the first and third phalanx : it 
is single, like the one present in ordinary fingers opposite the second 
joint. That opposite the first joint is double in most normal hands. 
Whilst it would be difficult to tell that there are only two phalanges 
No. 97. 
No. 96. 
Fig. 3. 
in each finger from an inspection of their dorsal aspect, the palmar view 
shows clearly that such is the case ; and this is confirmed by radiography 
in the majority of instances. Farabee does not draw attention to the 
palmar aspect of his cases. 
The palm shows two peculiar lines. The most characteristic one is a 
line running straight across the hand transversely. It is well shown in 
Nos. 43, 45, 60, 94, and especially in 96 (fig. 3) and 163 (fig. 4). It 
appears to be a union of the palmist’s lines of “ heart ” and “ head.” 
The second line starts from the middle of this transverse line and runs 
to the space between the first and second fingers. (This is seen in Nos. 88 
