title: [Forensic-medical aspects of the examination of dermatoglyphic patterns as markers of predisposition to drug addiction and related suicides].
abstract: The objective of this study was to compare foot skin patterns from cadavers of 98 men who died from a drug overdose and 50 male suicide victims (as confirmed postmortem inquiries) with those in control samples (from 166 cadavers of men who died from other causes). Dermatoglyphic patterns of the sole and toes in the two former groups were found to have a number of specific and unidirectional features that allowed them to be distinguished from controls. Both drug addicts and self-murderers showed reduced occurrence of fibular loops and higher frequency of whorl patterns on the third toe of the right foot. The frequency of main sole line A termini in the two study groups was reduced in field 1' on either foot and in field 7 on the right one. The same proved true of line E in field 1" on the left foot. An increased ridge count was documented on the first toe of the right foot and on the second toe of the left foot.
authors.forename: O M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Zoroastrov
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Chistikina
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Zoroastrov
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bevza
mesh_terms: D002102:Cadaver; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000473:pathology*; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D013405:Suicide; D014034:Toes / Q000473:pathology*