A Comparison of Palmar Dermatoglyphics in Two Ethnic Indian Populations of North Bengal, India*

Abstract

Dermatoglyphic print comparisons can be utilized to establish personal identification in forensic cases. The northern part of the state of West Bengal, India, is the home to many ethnic populations. Two such populations are the Rajbanshi and the Mech. Palm prints were collected from 192 adult Rajbanshi (105 men and 87 women) and 100 adult Mech (50 men and 50 women) individuals for print comparison using the standard ink and roll print method. The dermatoglyphic variables studied were mainline formulae, termination of mainline, positional variation of axial triradii, and true pattern of hypothenar and thenar configuration area. There were differences between the Rajbanshi and Mech individuals with respect to these dermatoglyphic variables. The uses of these variables appear to be limited only to ethnic identification, not personal identification. The present investigation further highlights the racial affinity, sex, and bilateral differences among Rajbanshi individuals using dermatoglyphic palmar variables.

Is there a sex difference in palm print ridge density?

“…Similarly, population and ethnic variations in palmar dermatoglyphics have been reported in the literature. 1821 The participants included in the study were not from any homogeneous population but represented a mixed population from India. The same may be considered as a limitation of the study.…”

Palmar dermatoglyphics in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia – A preliminary investigation

“…3e6 Kanchan and Chattopadhyay have studied the distribution of fingerprint patterns among medical students 7 while Nithin et al studied thefingerprint classification and their gender distribution among South Indian population. 8 Ethnic variations in palmar dermatoglyphics have been reported in a recent research by Sen et al 9 Specific changes in the dermatoglyphic patterns have prompted researchers to search for dermatoglyphic markers which can help in the early diagnosis of the diseases. A number of earlier studies have studied the association between congenital diseases, and diseases with genetic influences and the dermatoglyphic features in the hand.…”

Sex Estimation from Foot Dimensions in an Indigenous Indian Population

“…The northern part of the state of West Bengal, India, popularly known as North Bengal comprises six districts and is home to a number of indigenous populations. The most widely distributed population among them is the Rajbanshi (25). …”