- HANDANALYSIS & DEVELOPMENTS (1/5) -

handanalysis - handreading - palm-reading - palmistry - chirology

---- BACK -- Handanalysis MINI-COURSE: -- NEXT

INDEX:- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10- 11- 12- 13- 14- 15- 16- 17- 18- 19- 20- 21- 22- 23- 24- 25- 26- 27- 28- 29- 30- 31- 32- 33

- Developments (1/5) - SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS: - Preceding the 19th century no developments have taken place which are relevant in the perspective of modern handanalysis. For till the 19th century the practitioners of handanalysis (palmistry- or palm readers) merely focussed on its profetic aspects. - Nevertheless, the medical diagnostic potential of the human hand was noticed in the 16th century already. Gettings(1) writes: - “… Paracelsus used the stars of heaven to predict the future and he used the human hand for indications of diseases …” - Figure A-1: Portret of Paracelsus: an engraving created by Hirshvogel in 1538. The latin words op top of the engraving describe Paracelsus' motto for life: “Let no man belong who can belong to himself belong to another”. - - - Figure A-2: Purkinje's fingerprint classification systeem. - The very first fingerprint classification systeem was presented in 1823. It was the work of Joannes Evangelista Purkinje(2) – a Tsjech physiologist. Purkinje's system describes the variations among 9 fingerprint types. - Only a few years later, in 1833 the anatomist Bell2 described the funtionality of the dermatoglyphs: “these give us a firmer grip”. - References: - 1 - Gettings, F. The Book of the hand: an illustrated history of palmistry. (p.161). London: Paul Hamlyn Ltd. 1965. - 2 - Cummins, H & Midlo, C. Finger prints, palms and soles: an introduction to dermatoglyphics. Philadelphia: Blackistion Co., 1943.

READ MORE ON PAGE 3