Palmar dermatoglyphs of South African Negroes and Coloureds.

The palmar dermatoglyphs of 200 males and 200 females of the Negro and Coloured communities in Durban are analyzed by a topological method. The method is suitable for population studies but it is recommended that for clinical studies the traditional notation be used. Negroes, in this study of the Zulu ‘race’, have fewer thenar patterns and an extremely high prevalence of loops in the IVth interdigital area. The Coloureds of this sample did not show any remarkable differences.