Analysis of palm dermatoglyphics in Taiwan indigenous populations

An analysis of a-b and a-d palm ridge counts was made from samples of people in eight indigenous Taiwan populations. Differences between hands, sexes, and populations were all significant. Bimanual differences for both counts were large, and right hand counts were consistently smaller than those for the left hand in all the populations. This is believed to be a consequence of the evolution of development, reflecting some inborn bilateral differences in function and anatomy. Sex differences, although small, were noticed. Variations between populations, ranging from approximately 7 to 19% of the total, were assumed to be genetic. The population relationships, based on dermatoglyphics, partially resembled those based on anthropometric measurements; and some aspects of their evolutionary significance were discussed.