Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 63.djvu/406

402 Although, as given in all of the above illustrations, the natural order of sequence in the four designations of each formula is from the line A to line D, it happens that of the four, A is the most uncertain in its interpretation, and is the only one concerning the designation of which differences of opinion would be likely to occur. It is unfortunate to begin with this especial one and thus be liable to be put on the wrong track at the outset, and it appears to be better to reverse each formula, beginning with line D. and ending with A. This would lead to a rearrangement, not only of each formula which would be simply reversed, but also of the order of sequence of the whole, so that the nine formula used above would become rearranged as follows:

in which a given formula would be as easily found as in the other order, with the advantage of having the uncertain designation in the fourth place instead of in the first.

Of course it can not be known, at least as yet, what is the total number of main line formulæ which occur in the human hand, but in this regard the following table will be of interest, which gives in the regular order of sequence the formulæ of the hands of 100 American female college students, 100 rights and 100 lefts, and shows the number of times each formula occurs in each hand.

By this it will be seen that the total number of formulæ represented in the 200 hands is 61, that there are 48 separate formulæ in the left hands and but 38 in the right. Of the 48 left hand formulæ 23 do not occur in the right, and of the 38 right hand formulæ 13 are not found in the left, 25 being common to both. The commonest formula