XRHAH@SCFVM.GSFC.NASA.GOV (Herbert A. Huston) (05/06/91)
John Napier gives a figure of 0.4 percent while Desmond Morris offers "roughly one person in twenty-five" (4 percent by my math). An informal survey of my coworkers produced a figure closer to Morris'. Did Napier have a decimal point shifted on him? Can someone clear this up? Here are my references: Napier, J. 1980 _Hands_. New York: Pantheon, p. 46 Morris, D. 1985 _Bodywatching_. New York: Crown, p. 148 -- Herb Huston
takai@taiiku.tsukuba.ac.jp (Takai Shozo) (05/08/91)
The incidence of the simian cease in Japanese were ca. 10% in males and ca. 6% in female (Hirano, 1960; Ogata, 1961). These figures were very high compared to White males (3-7%) and White females (1-2%) (Schiller, 1942; Becker, 1952; Tillner, 1954). According to Knussman's "Anthropologie" (Textbook of Anthropology, vol.1), the simian crease (Vierfingerfurche or Affenfuruche) varys from one typical (classical) and 6 transitional forms. This may cause the discrepancy between Japanese's and Whites' incidences. However, a figure of 0.4% by Napier was extremely low. I think it is a mistake during typing or printing. ----- Shozo Takai Inst. Hlth. & Sport Sciences, Univ. Tsukuba, Japan -- $@9b0f>J;0!!(J(Takai Shozo) $@C^GHBg3XBN0i2J3X7O1~MQ2rK63X8&5f<<(J $@")(J305$@0q>k8)$D$/$P;TE72&Bf(J1-1-1 Tel:(0298)53-2669, 2760, 2737 Fax:(0298)53-6507 ($@7O;vL3<<(J)