A study of Finger and Palm print patterns of Thelodha Population of West Medinipur, West Bengal, India
- Man In India
- 104 (3&4), 2024: p.233-242
The scientific study of the pattern of epidermal ridges is known as dermatoglyphics. The ridge pattern of fingerprints develops in intrauterine life and remains the same until death before being altered by decomposition. Dermatoglyphics can be used for various purposes, especially in personal identification and population variation studies. A cross-sectional study was conducted to understand the fingertip patterns, angle, ridge count, and different indices among the Lodha population of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. A total of 103 (male-48; female-55) individuals were selected for this study using the purposive sampling method. Interview, schedule, and ink method (Cummins and Mildo, 1943) were used to collect data directly from the participants. A higher percentage of arch and composite patterns can be observed among the male participants (4.16% and 7.5%, respectively) compared to the females (2.18% and 3.45%). Females had a higher percentage of loops and whorls (52.9% and 41.45%, respectively) than males (49.58% and 38.75%, respectively). The difference between fingertip patterns of male and female Lodha participants was statistically significant (χ2=12.124; p≤0.05). While no statistically significant difference between male and female participants was found in atd angle, ridge count and in other indices. More studies are necessary to understand the finger and palmprint profiles of the Lodha population. - Reproduced