title: [Laterality and sex differences in quantitative fingerprint ridge analysis in a middle European sample (Giessen, Hessen)].
abstract: An examination of the quantitative characteristics of the skin of the digital pulps in a Central European population sample (Giessen, Hessen) of 625 persons (273 males and 352 females) was made. From the accumulation concerning the distribution of the ridge counts of each finger resulted for the left and for the right hand of men as well as for the right hand of females the following sequence I-IV-V-III-II, while the count of ridges diminished. On the left hand of females both first positions are exchanged. All pairs of fingers show, however, only partially significant higher values on the right homologous parts. The total amounts of the ridge values on the right and on the left hand differ significantly. With regard to males the amount of the ridges of the right hand is on the average four to five ridges higher than the left hand. Concerning females the difference is on the average four to five ridges. The following characteristics of the skin ridges have been examined with regard to sex differences: ridge counts of the single fingers, amounts of ridge counts of the right and left hand, total ridge count (TRC) and absolute ridge count (ALZ). Each of the examined characteristics show that males have higher ridge values than females. But the sexes distinguish significantly only with regard to four of ten fingers, in the amounts of ridge counts of the right and left hand and the TRC. The TRC of females amounts to 127.62, the TRC of males to 138.43. The values of TRC are distributed normally in both sexes. The rates of the correlation coefficient range in males in the field of 0.43 and 0.82, in females in the field of 0.42 and 0.82 and all are significantly positive. The homologous fingers correlate most strongly with each other. With respect to tendency concerning increasing distance of the fingers from each other, a decrease of correlation can be stated on the hand.
authors.affiliation: Anthropologisches Institut, Universität Giessen.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rühl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
vernacular_title: Seiten- und Geschlechtsunterschiede quantitativer Hautleistenbefunde der Fingerbeeren bei einer mitteleuropäischen Stichprobe (Giessen, Hessen).