About Dermatoglyphics

About  Dermatoglyphics

Dermatoglyphics (from ancient Greek derma=skin, glyph=carving) is the scientific study of fingerprints. Dermatoglyphics refers to the formation of naturally occurring ridges on certain body parts, namely palms, fingers, soles and toes. These are areas where hair usually does not grow and these ridges allow for increased leverage when picking up objects or walking barefoot. The finger prints of both hands are not the same. They do not change size or shape throughout a person’s life, expert in cases of serious injuries that scar the dermis. As a term, dermatoglyphics is used to distinguish it from the superficially similar pseudoscience of palmistry. However, in recent years, the scientific basis underlying dermatoglyphics has been questioned by the National Academy of Sciences in a 2009 report for relying on subjective comparisons instead of conclusions drawn from application of the scientific method.