Easter Islander palmar dermatoglyphics: sexual dimorphism, bilateral asymmetry, and family polymorphism

But Fingerprints Don't Lie, EH?

For more than a decade, feminist theorists have found fault with studies that purport to find significant gender differences with regard to cognitive ability and personality. This article demonstrates the continuing validity of these critiques by considering a series of recent studies that report a higher incidence of dermatoglyphic asymmetry (DA), that is, asymmetry with regard to fingerprint patterns, among females and homosexual males compared to heterosexual males. This analysis suggests that at least some of the key findings reported in these studies are an artifact of the methodology used. It is argued that this case supports the feminist claim that studies whose results reinforce gender stereotypes that prevail in society at large (in this case, the societal construction of male homosexuals as effeminate) are subjected to less scrutiny by the scientific community than those that do not.

Continuous-variable quantification of dermatoglyphic whorl patterns: a statistical study of angular measurements

Core(s) and triradii of dermatoglyphic whorl patterns were joined together to form triangles. Base angles of these triangles were measured (in degrees). The tangent angle at the lower edge of a ridge crossing the core-triradius line was also measured in degrees on each side of the whorl. Significant differences and similarities of these angles were investigated for unrelated Caucasian males and females by the use of Student's t- and Pearson's r-tests. Angular findings were related to the corresponding information provided by ridge counts. Similarities and differences between males and females are described.

Topological description of Easter Islander palmar dermatoglyphics

A sample of 594 Easter Islander palms was analyzed according to the topological method. Some suggestions for clarification of the topological approach were made, including clearer definition of the palmar triradii and substitution of the term "profile" for "formula." The frequency of Easter Islander profiles was compared against British and Australian Aborigine samples (Loesch, 1974; 1983a,b) and found to be significantly different for two of the ten most common combinations. The individual pattern elements, pattern intensities, a-b count, A-line exit, and atd angle were described, with population comparisons made when they were available.