HANDS in the NEWS

NOVEMBER 2, 2008 The simian line: a notorious 'single palmar crease'! A historical review from 1906 to 2008 about one of the most fascinating features of the human hand. AUTHOR: Martijn van Mensvoort (Dutch version: De simiaanlijn: een beruchte handlijn) 7 Aspects of the simian line The simian line in various populations (update: january 10, 2009) The simian line is well-known for it's significance in Down's syndrome - a discovery by R.L. Down in 1906 (his father discovered Down syndrome in 1866). During the 20th century the simian line has been studied in many other perspectives of life. In 2000 a movie titled: 'The Simian Line' was released - inspired by the fact that this notorious line has changed the lives of so many people around the world. What is in 2008 the state of knowledge about the simian line? 1 - HOW TO RECOGNIZE A SIMIAN LINE? A typical 'simian line' is characterized by the presence of a single line that runs across the palm of the hand. People normally have three major creases in their palms; however when the simian line is present there are (usually) only two major creases. NOTICE: One should be aware that the simian line can show up in many different manifestations (see the examples below); very often as a partly merging of the so-called 'heart line' (in medical jargon, the: 'distal transverse crease') and the so-called 'headline' (in medical jargon, the: 'proximal transverse crease'). 2 - WHY IS THIS LINE CALLED 'THE SIMIAN LINE'? The name of the simian crease is related to the fact that hands of primates (simians) are often characterised by various horizontal creases which transverse the full primate hand. So, the word 'simian line' or 'simian crease' stems merely from its resemblance to the palmar creases which are supposed to be found in the hands of primates. 3 - SIMIAN LINE SYNONYMS! Various names are being used to describe the 'simian line': simian crease (most often) single palmar transverse crease single palmar crease horizontal palmar crease transverse palmar crease single palmar flexion crease simian fold (less often) A basic characteristic of the primate hand is the presence of various horizontal creases which 'transverse' the full primate palm. 4 - A MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF MODERN GENETICS! After his father described the major characteristics of Down's syndrome in 1866, R.L. Down discovered in 1906 the relationship between the simian crease and Down's syndrome. This discovery was related to the fact - and one should never forget this fact! - that the human simian crease can be observed in the hands of about 1% of healthy people. 'Healthy hands' with a simian line usually do not have the other stereotypical hand features related related to Down syndrome are missing (examples of other Down syndrome-related hand features are: a short thumb, curved little finger, certain dermatoglyphic patterns in the palm and fingerprints). In general the percentages of the occurence of the simian line varies among ethnic populations - up to above 10% in Asian populations. By the way, the simian crease is bit more frequently present in the left-hand (1.3%) - compared to the right hand (0.8%). R.L. Down described back then that the simian crease is very frequently observed in the hands of people who have Down's syndrome. Since then various research programs have produced results varying from 31% to 86%. 5 - THE SIMIAN LINE IS RELATED TO A 'RAINBOW' OF MEDICAL PROBLEMS! Next to Down's sydrome, hundreds of research studies have indicated that the simian line can be related to a rich scala of other medical problems. These include various genetic syndromes (including e.g.: Aarskog syndrome; cat-cry syndrome [related to chromosomes 4p, 4q, 5p], Edward's syndrome [trisomie 18]; fragile-X syndrome [Martin Bell's syndrome], fetal alcohol syndrome, de Lange syndrome; Noonan syndrome; Patau's syndrome [trisomy 13]; Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome; Seckel syndrome; Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome; Warkany syndrome [trisomy 8]; William-Beuren syndrome; Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome; Zellweger syndrome; 18p-, 18q- and 18r syndrome; + many other genetic disorders.) Wrongdiagnosis.com presents a list of 93 causes of the simian crease. The simian crease has also been related to various (non-genetic) diseases such as: familial deafness, leprosy, rheumatoid arthritis. 6 - PSYCHOLOGY AND THE SIMIAN LINE!? Only a few studies have related the simian line with psychological or psychiatric problems. Especially the work of the Polish psychologist Charlotte Wolff can be mentioned here - but one can notice here that Wolff's research results on the simian crease in schizophrenic patients has not been confirmed in later studies. In another research - a few years ago first presented at this website - the so-called simian related heartline has been related with the Big Five personality dimension Neuroticism. Jenifer Boyer presents an overview of how palmists and hand readers interpretate the simian line. Some common personality features of 'healthy people' who have the simian line are according palmistry authors: 'individualistic and emotional irregular' (chinese palmist Asano), 'highly introspective' (Indian palmist V.A.K. Ayer), 'emotional extremes' (UK palmists Sasha Fenton and Malcolm Wright), 'intense powers of concentration' (Canadain palmist Roz Levin), 'egocentricity' (Indian palm reader K.C. Sen), and 'difficulty in getting along with others' (Malaysian palmist Yaschpaule). And some hand-experts from the global palm reader network have presented interesting articles on the simian line: Jena Griffiths presents: The simian crease Kenneth Lagerstrom presents: The simian line Larry Rodrigues presents: About the simian line Lynn Seal presents: About hands: simian line Batya Weinbaum presents: The simian line 7 - OTHER PROJECTS RELATED TO THE SIMIAN LINE! Jennifer Boyer presents: The simian line - a website about the simian line! The simian line - the movie! The Double Simian Palms Simian line forum Simian line holders - another forum! JANUARY 10, 2009 update: 8 - THE SIMIAN LINE IN ETHNIC POPULATIONS! In the work 'Hands: The Complete Book of Palmistry' (1985), presented by Hachiro Asano from Japan, is being described that the simian line is more common in Oriental (Asian) populations. The following percentages are presented as indicative for various ethnic populations: Pygmies: 34.7 % Gypsies: 14.3 % Chinese: 13.0 % Koreans: 11.2 % Kyushu Japanese: 9.2 % Arabs & Berbers: 7.9 % Jews: 4.6 % Eastern Japanese: 4.0 % Germans: 2.8 % Ainu: 2.2 % Dutch: 1.5 % Eskimos: 1.3 % Swiss: 1.2 % SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: The Sydney line: an underestimated hand mark! (review) The 'Hypothenar Whorl': a mysterious dermatoglyphic hand characteristic! (review) HAND ANALYSIS | PALM THERAPY More articles presented by handresearch.com about the simian line: The Simian Line: on the Merging of Mind and Heart. Male female differences & the simian line Psychotic behavior & the simian crease The simian crease, down syndrome & other disorders Medical assessment of the lines The hand of Hillary Clinton The real Hillary Clinton Gift markings in your hand! The simian line (a review) HANDS IN THE NEWS

MORE HAND RESEARCH TOP ITEMS:

Hands in the News The latest news about Hands: reported from various sources in the world!

Palm Reader Network The biggest Palm Reader Network on earth! - incl. Palmists from 50 countries

Alternative Health Care Massage, Therapy, Tarot, Numerology, Horoscope, I Ching, Ouija, Colonics,

PALM READING RESEARCH | PALM READING COURSE | PALMISTRY TOP 100
PALMISTRY READINGS | NAILS & YOUR HEALTH