title: A Pilot Study: Nailing Indian Elections with the Indelible Ink Mark.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The indelible ink that's used in our elections was developed by National Physical Laboratories (NPL), Delhi in 1962, and has been used ever since. Though formulated by NPL, it is manufactured by Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd. owned by the Karnataka Government. Earlier, the ink mark was applied on the cuticle but with effect from February 01, 2006 the ink is applied on the voter's left index fingernail from the distal end proximally until the cuticle using an applicator. This idea of the ink mark applied during elections was used as a simple tool to measure the rate of nail growth in a busy outpatient department of a Tertiary Hospital in South India.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the feasibility of using the ink mark during elections as a method of obtaining data of nail growth across the spectrum of the entire country.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 74 patients presenting to a hospital, the rate of nail growth was measured. The voter's mark on the left index fingernail of patients during the recent elections was used as a marker for measuring the length of the nail.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average rate of nail growth was 0.113 mm/day. The rate of nail growth was found to be more in females, younger individuals, pregnancy, patients on nutritional supplementation, psoriasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study which was conducted on 74 patients using the election ink mark successfully confirmed the possibility of using it as an efficient tool in measuring the rate of nail growth. The findings revealed the slightly higher rate of nail growth as compared to a study done by Rani et al. However, the limited sample size in this study was the major limitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roga
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Naveen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thomas
keywords: Indelible ink mark; Indian elections; rate of nail growth