Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 62.djvu/55

Rh the fifth, the carpal tri-radius, low down near the wrist and of more uncertain occurrence. These tri-radii are points about each of which three sets of ridges come in contact, their boundaries forming links which radiate from the point at about equal angles from one another. In some cases there will be produced in this way a small triangle of neutral ground from the angles of which the three lines proceed, while in others the three radiating lines proceed from a point.

When these points are determined the palm is marked out into areas by simply continuing the radiating lines until they pass beyond the margin or coalesce with one another, a proceeding best followed at first with a finely pointed hard black pencil, and afterward repeated for the sake of clearness with a colored pencil, preferably red. In tracing these lines it will be noticed that they often follow the interspaces and not the ridges, and that these latter often break or fork, sometimes causing a moment's consideration concerning the best direction to follow. A lens may occasionally be used to advantage, but usually it is better in doubtful cases not to scrutinize the details too minutely, but to let the lines of interpretation follow the general trend of the markings, rather than individual spaces or ridges.

When the interpretation is complete it will be seen that the palm is separated into its elemental areas as in the illustration given in Fig. 6. The two short lines going up between the fingers from each of the palmar tri-radii are termed the digital lines, and serve to limit the small triangular digital areas; while the third set of lines, usually more extensive, form the four primary lines and run across the palm, marking the boundaries of the three palmar areas. When a carpal tri-radius is present, its extensions define a carpal area adjacent to the wrist and also separate the two largest areas, the thenar and the hypothenar; in cases where it is wanting, a slight divergence of the lines in about the middle of the wrist at the margin of the palm shows the point from which the line should be drawn that separates the two latter areas. Such a case may be termed a 'parting,' and where this occurs there is no definite carpal area.

These, then, are the elements into which a human palm may be divided, and among these there is the greatest conceivable variation, both of size, arrangement and mutual relationship. If even a small collection of interpreted prints be made and compared (Fig. 6), they will be found to be absolutely individual and distinct, the differences being due to variations in the elementary areas, both in themselves and in their relationships to one another. This variation is so great that it seems at first to be entirely without system, and much like the detailed though purposeless descriptions of the palmist, whose classification of the wrinkles and other features,