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1 - Palmistry & health consultation
Since the early history of medical science the condition of the fingernails has been used as 'a window to our health'.
Skin characteristics (colour, structure & tone) are known for serving the same purpose.
Even the fingerprints, dermatoglyphics & palmar lines can sometimes be used for that purpose.
In more rare cases finger length can be used for this aim -
in the 21th century the issue of the '2D:4D finger ratio' has become an issue that has surged the interest of academic researchers & scientists.
In certain specific examples hand analysis (palmistry) can be used as a reliable diagnostic tool for establishing a medical diagnosis.
The significance of the hand in Down syndrome (e.g. simian crease) is the most well-known example.
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2 - Palmistry & character interpretation
In the 20th century the aspect of 'character interpretation' became probably the most important application of palmistry in the Western countries (including the US).
While in East countries (including India) the aspect of 'divination' continued to be the most common application uptill the start of the 21 century.
In the palmistry literature e.g. hand shape, palmar mounts, finger length & hand lines are usually all associated with certain tendencies of human psychology & personality.
An interesting branch of this aspect concerns Psychodiagnostic Chirology -
a hand reading system designed by chirologist Arnold Holtzman (Israel) for applications in the fields of therapy & psychology.
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3 - Palmistry & life purpose orientation
The roots of the aspect of 'life purpose identification' can be found in the spiritual aspects of the two classic Vedic palmistry systems from India: Hast Samudrika Shastra, and Sariraka Shastra.
In those systems interpretations were usually based on signs & marks (usually formed by small hand lines).
The work of Ghanshyam Singh Birla (born in India) - who was selected in 1970 by the Indian government from a pool of 500 applicants to come to Montreal (Canada) and practice palmistry - is a modern example of the Indian approach towards spirituality.
A typical Western application of this aspect concern the work of Richard Unger (US), who developed a new approach for life purpose identification - based on the ten fingerprints.
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4 - Palmistry & divination
Up till the 19th century 'divination' had been the most influential aspect in the history of palmistry.
And despite the other applications, many people associate palmistry merely with future predictions and reading fortunes.
This one-sided notorious image of palmistry in Western culture can be traced back to the early years of the 16th century.
In those days gypsies from Egypt arrived in Europe where they used palmistry (and other techniques) for less divine purposes - resulting in the 1530 English statute of Henry VIII (cap.10), which described palmistry as
“...and crafty means to deceive the people, bearing them in hand that they by Palmystire could tell men and women's fortunes, and so many times by craft and subtlety have deceived the people from their money...”.
But today the situation is quite different in the UK - where even palmists who focuss on divination activities can use an 'entertainment-only' disclaimer which follows: “The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations” (2008).
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