The ridge-counts of the interdigital a-b,b-c,and c-d areas in a normal sample and in cerebrally damaged patients of Thuringia,G.D.R. (East Germany)

We determined the ridge-counts and their correlations of interdigital area a-b, b-c, and c-d among 300 boys and 300 girls from Jena and 95 male and 79 female cerebrally damaged chidren from the Mental Hospital of Stadroda, both in Thuringia, G.D.R. (East Germany). The mean values of the normals and the patients differ significantly only on the right hand of males in the b-c area (p ≤ 5%). Bimanuar comparisons showed significant correlations in the three areas in both sexes in the normal and the abnormal children. Inter-area comparisons revealed no significant correlation between a-b and b-c areas; correlations were significant between a-b and c-d areas in both sexes in the normal group, but significant for the right hand only in cerebrally damaged children. Highly significant correlation was found between the b-c and c-d areas only in the right hand of female cerebrally damaged children. Comparative data from Bavaria and North-Rhine-Westfalia are also presented.