Potential on Fingertips

The meaning of Dermatoglyphics

Dermatoglyphics (from ancient Greek derma = "skin", glyph = "carving")
is the scientific study of fingerprints and can be traced back to 1892
when one of the most original biologists of his time Sir Francis
Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, published his now classic work on
fingerprints. The study was later termed Dermatoglyphics by Dr. Harold
Cummins, the father of American fingerprint analysis, even though the
process of fingerprint identification had already been in use for
several hundred years.[1] All primates have ridged skin. It can also
be found on the paws of certain mammals, and on the tails of some
monkey species. In humans and animals, dermatoglyphs are present on
fingers, palms, toes and soles. This helps shed light on a critical
period of embryogenesis, between four weeks and five months, when the
architecture of the major organ systems is developing.

The word dermatoglyphics comes from two Greek words (derma, skin and
glyphe, carve) and refers to the friction ridge formations which
appear on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Characteristically, hair does not grow from this area. The ridging
formations serve well to enhance contact, an area of multiple nerve
endings (Dermal Papillae) and aids in the prevention of slippage.
People of African ancestry display reduced skin pigmentation in the
designated locations. All studies of the dermal ridge arrangements
including genetics, anthropology and Egyptology are classified under
the term dermatoglyphics.

The word subdermatoglyphic is cited as one of the longest isograms in
the English language

Dr. Nehemiah Grew (1641 - 1712)
Dr. Grew was a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the College of
Physicians, he described the "innumerable little ridges" in
Philosophical Transactions for 1684:

For if anyone will but take the pains, with an indifferent glass to
survey the palm o f his hand, he may perceive ... innumerable little
ridges, of equal bigness and distance, and everywhere running parallel
one with another. And especially, upon the hands and first joints of
the fingers and thumb. They are very regularly disposed into spherical
triangles and elliptics.

Dr. Grew published extremely accurate drawings of finger patterns and
areas of palm

Marcello Malpighi (1628 - 1694)

An Italian anatomist and microscopist who described the patterns on
the tips of fingers as part of an overall study of human skin. He is
regarded by some to be the first histologist. (Histology is the study
of tissues.) The lower epidermis "Malpighian layer" is named after
him. For almost 40 years he used the microscope to describe the major
types of plant and animal structures and in doing so marked out for
future generations of biologists major areas of research in
embryology, human anatomy and pathology.

Dermatoglyphics Terminology
Fingerprints are extremely complex. Defining characteristics are used,
many of which have been established by law enforcement agencies, to
read and classify fingerprints.

Biometric systems authenticate users by comparing the ridges and
patterns on the finger. To break it down further, the analysis looks
for distinctions within these areas:

Ridges
The skin on the inside surfaces of our hands, fingers, feet, and toes
is ridged or covered with concentric raised patterns. These ridges are
called friction ridges and they provide friction making it easier for
us to grasp and hold onto objects and surfaces without slippage. It is
the many differences in the way friction ridges are patterned, broken,
and forked which make ridged skin areas, including fingerprints,
distinctive.

Global Versus Local Features
Two types of fingerprint characteristics are used in identification of
individuals: Global features and local features.Global features are
those characteristics that one can see with the naked eye and include:
• Pattern Area
• Core Area
• Type Lines
• Delta
• Ridge Count Basic
• Ridge Patterns
The local features are known as minutia points. They are the tiny
characteristics of fingerprint ridges. Their two-dimensional
arrangement is distinctive and is used for recognition. It is possible
for two or more individuals to have similar global features but still
have different and distinctive fingerprints because the local
features, that is, the two dimensional arrangement of minutia pointsis
different.

Global Features
Pattern Area The pattern area is the part of the fingerprint that
contains the global features. Fingerprints are read and classified
based on the information in the pattern area. Certain minutia points
that are used for final recognition might be outside the pattern area.
Core Point -- The core point, located at the approximate center of the
finger impression, is used as a starting reference point for reading
and classifying the print.

Type Lines Type lines are the two innermost ridges that start
parallel, diverge, and surround or tend to surround the pattern area.
When there is a definite break in a type line, the ridge immediately
outside that line is considered to be its continuation.

Delta The delta is the point on the first bifurcation (where the
ridge forks into two different directions), abrupt ending ridge,
meeting of two ridges, dot, fragmentary ridge, or any point upon a
ridge at or nearest the center of divergence of two type lines. The
delta is located directly in front of the lines point of divergence.
It is a definite fixed point used to facilitate ridge counting and
tracing.

Ridge Count The ridge count is most commonly the number of ridges
between the delta and the core. To establish the ridge count, an
imaginary line is drawn from the delta to the core; each ridge that
touches this line is counted.

Basic Ridge Patterns
To make fingerprints easier to search against large fingerprint
databases, experts categorize fingerprints into groups based on
patterns in the ridges. These groupings or basic ridge patterns are
not sufficient for identification in themselves, but they help narrow
down the search and speed up the processing time. Once a fingerprint
is identified as a particular group like a whorl, the search only
continues to compare the print to all other whorl types in the
database and ignores the other groupings.
There are a number of basic ridge pattern groupings which have been
defined. Three of the most common are loop, arch, and whorl.

1. LOOP
The loop is the most common type of fingerprint pattern and accounts
for about 65% of all fingerprints.

2. ARCH
The arch pattern is a more open curve than the loop. There are two
types of arch patterns the plain arch and the tented arch.

3. WHORL
Whorl patterns occur in about 30% of all fingerprints and are defined
by at least one ridge that makes a complete circle.

Noel Jaquin (1893-1974)
He was one of the most important pioneers for the study and
chirological diagnosis of hand in this centuryAlthough he is most
important as a pioneer within the fields of health analysis and sexual
and emotional evaluation from the hand, he has made considerable
contribution to all aspects of the chirological art.
His work is as a broad canvas with a lightly sketched image,
outlining the breadth of scope of the diagnostic potential of the
hand. His last two books The Human Hand(1956) and The Theory of
Metaphysical Influence(1958)concentrate far more on his general
theories about life, the universe and everything and expound more of
his philosophy of handreading.

In April 1945Noel Jaquin helped to establish/found the Society for the
Study of Physiological Patterns (SSPP) in conjunction with Hilda
Jaffe, Beryl Hutchinson and Margaret Hone. This society was dedicated
to promote the scientific importance of chirology as a diagnostic tool
in the analysis of psychology and pathology. It continues to flourish
to this day.

Julius Spier (1877-1942)

Julius Spier was a German Psycho-Analytic Chirologist and worked
together with C.G.Jung. His book "The Hands of Children" is still
considered by professional chirologists all over the world. In
addition to Dr. Charlotte Wolff, he is the international mot renowed
German chirologist. Spier's approach to the study of the hand draws
heavily on his psycho-analytic background he places much emphasis on
the continuing influence of our family and early life on our
development as individuals the purpose of hand analysis is a means of
freeing the individual from social and environmental influences that
have inhibited or suppressed our true development

Sir Edward Henry (1850-1931)

As the Inspector General of Police for Bengal Province in India, he
set out to solve the problem of fingerprint classification. He read
Galton's book "Fingerprints" in 1893. Influenced by Sir Galtons
Finger Prints, Sir Henry developed the Henry Classification System
between the years 1896 to 1897. The Henry Classification System was to
find worldwide acceptance within a few years. In 1887 a commission was
established to compare Anthropometry to the Henry Classification
System. As the results were
overwhelmingly in favor of fingerprints, fingerprinting was introduced
to British India by the Governor General, and in 1900, replaced
Anthropometry. Also in 1900, Sir Henry was sent to Natal, South Africa
to assist in the reorganization of the local police force and
establish a fingerprint bureau. His efforts in South Africa were
highly successful; and in 1901 Sir Henry returned to Britain and was
appointed Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, head of the
Criminal Investigation Department. In the same year, the first UK
fingerprint bureau was established at Scotland Yard

Julius Spier (1877-1942)

Julius Spier was a German Psycho-Analytic Chirologist and worked
together with C.G.Jung. His book "The Hands of Children" is still
considered by professional chirologists all over the world. In
addition to Dr. Charlotte Wolff, he is the international mot renowed
German chirologist. Spier's approach to the study of the hand draws
heavily on his psycho-analytic background he places much emphasis on
the continuing influence of our family and early life on our
development as individuals the purpose of hand analysis is a means of
freeing the individual from social and environmental influences that
have inhibited or suppressed our true development

Noel Jaquin (1893-1974)
He was one of the most important pioneers for the study and
chirological diagnosis of hand in this centuryAlthough he is most
important as a pioneer within the fields of health analysis and sexual
and emotional evaluation from the hand, he has made considerable
contribution to all aspects of the chirological art.
His work is as a broad canvas with a lightly sketched image,
outlining the breadth of scope of the diagnostic potential of the
hand. His last two books The Human Hand(1956) and The Theory of
Metaphysical Influence(1958)concentrate far more on his general
theories about life, the universe and everything and expound more of
his philosophy of handreading.

In April 1945Noel Jaquin helped to establish/found the Society for the
Study of Physiological Patterns (SSPP) in conjunction with Hilda
Jaffe, Beryl Hutchinson and Margaret Hone. This society was dedicated
to promote the scientific importance of chirology as a diagnostic tool
in the analysis of psychology and pathology. It continues to flourish
to this day.

Article in Times Of India-
MBA or engineering? Sports or arts? These dilemmas once had parents rushing their kids to career counselors for IQ and aptitude tests after class 10 or 12 exams. But Raksh*t Dhingra was just two and a half when his parents had him tested to uncover his 'inborn intelligence'. Each of Raksh*t's tubby little fingers was placed on a small biometric scanner connected to a computer and the prints run through a software programme. A few days later, a 34-page report detailing Raksh*t's personality type, innate abilities (is he 'word smart' or 'number smart' ?) and 'best-suited' career options were mailed to his father Nitin. "It is too early to think about Raksh*t's career but it is still good to have a heads up. The world is becoming very competitive," says Dhingra, who lives in Delhi's Malviya Nagar.

The software engineer and his wife, a management professor, are among a growing breed of parents who, hoping to create future Sachin Tendulkars and Narayana Murthys, are taking their children as young as oneyear-old for the Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Test (DMIT). The 10-minute test, which costs Rs 5,000, aims to unveil one'sgenetic potential based on a study of the ridge patterns on the tips of one's fingers.

Various researchers developed the DMIT test in Taiwan in the 1990s — there is a dispute regarding the creator — but it has been gaining ground across Asia, the US and Australia only in the past few years. It came to India in mid-2011, and is administered by several all-India companies aptly named GODDS, Brain Key, TrueTalent, Brain Wonders and Thumbrule. The online ad has a catchy tagline — "Imagine if Sachin Tendulkar's parents would have asked him to become a musician?" This appears to have caught the imagination of today's zealous parents.

Brain Key has conducted 1.2 lakh tests since it started its first centre at Mehsana, near Ahmedabad, in March 2011 and Brain Wonders has done 39,000 tests at its 76 centres across India. "We conduct an average of a 1,000 tests a month," says Fenil Shah, chairman of Brain Key. The test has received the best response from tier two and three cities, say its promoters. Brain Wonders conducts 800 tests per month in Hyderabad and finds many takers in Jhumar (near Pune) and Yavatmal in Maharashtra. When Brain Key recently opened a centre in Bhopal, they had many 'walk-ins', says Shah.

More than 50% of those tested at Brain Wonders are children under nine and majority of them are three to six years old. At Brain Key, 20% of tests are done for children under four. "Our youngest client was just nine months old," says Manish Naidu, founder of Brain Wonders. The DMIT test can benefit people of any age — many teens undergo it to decide on a career and some retired persons have opted for it to determine a 'second career' path — but companies say the test's utility is optimized when taken at the toddler stage. "Ninety per cent of our brain's development takes place till the age of five," says Naidu, revealing that early profiling enables parents to tailor a child's learning experiences to maximize strengths and overcome weaknesses.

The DMIT report tells parents whether their child learns better by 'seeing, hearing or doing' (visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner), whether he has high or low inborn learning capacity (short-term memory ), how long it takes for his mind to process information and so on. This, coupled with the finding about his dominant type of intelligence (there are eight listed ones, including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, naturalist, inter-personal and intrapersonal ) can help parents give their child a good "head start", say companies. "If a child is good at communication but bad in logical analysis, he can be a trainer, teacher or lawyer. But if parent starts working towards improving logic at an early age, more doors will open for the child in the future," says Naidu.

The report is accompanied by a counseling session where pointers are given. For instance, a chess class is beneficial for a child with poor logical-intelligence, or visual learners can benefit if colourful markers are used to highlight important text.

The profiling also enables parents to zero in on the right hobby. Hyderabad-based software engineer Jayalakshmi Potukuchi put three-year-old Sriram, 3, in a gymnastics class because he has low kinesthetic intelligence (physical skill).
Parental enthusiasm notwithstanding, medical experts and educationists are skeptical about what some call a 'high-tech method of palm reading' as there is no largescale, independent research to support the accuracy of its findings. Many experts question the science behind DMIT, calling the premise that each finger is connected to a brain lobe too simplistic. "There is no evidence to prove its efficacy," says Dr Anjana Thadani, developmental paediatrician. She is concerned that the test may hamper a child's overall development. "Categorizing a child as an auditory learner, for instance, could lead to parents stimulating just that particular sense and ignoring other faculties," she says.

Fingerprint analysis: Implications of genetic identifiers on the learning potential.
To know your Child's inborn characteristics.