Original scientific paper
Patterns of Hand Variation – New Data on a Sardinian Sample
Roberto Buffa
Elisabetta Marini
Stefano Cabras
Giuliana Scalas
Giovanni Floris
Abstract
This study is an analysis of the patterns of variation of the human hand, particularly the metric characters of palm,
fingers and distal phalanges. Anthropometric measurements were performed on 146 Sardinian men and women, aged
21 to 31 years. The data were analyzed by inferential statistics (paired Student’s t test, analysis of variance), and Principal
Components Analysis. The results indicate that size factors are the principal source of variation. A residual adimensional
component of variability is related to diversification between the fingers as a whole and the distal phalanges,
and between the thumb and the other fingers. Sexual dimorphism is evident. Men present greater dimensions and
greater relative length of the thumb with respect to the other fingers than women.
Keywords
hand; fingers; phalanges; principal components; morphometry
Hrčak ID:
27286
URI
Publication date:
4.1.2007.
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