CHAPTER II
THE THUMB
In the judgment of character by the formation of the Hand, the Thumb is of about the same importance as the nose is to the face. It must be understood to represent the natural Will Power, whereas the Line of Head represents the Mental Will.
In my larger works on this subject I have gone into very deeply the medical reasons why character should be expressed by the Thumb and the extraordinary rôle it has played in civilisation, and also in the various religions of the world.
The Thumb proper represents the three great worlds of ideas, viz., Love, Logic, and Will ([Plate VI]., Part II.).
Love is represented by the base of the Thumb which is covered on the hand by the Mount of Venus.
Logic is the middle phalange, and Will is the top or nail portion.
When these divisions are found large, the qualities are increased; when small, they play a smaller rôle in the life of the individual.
There are two distinct classes of Thumbs, the supple-jointed and the firm-jointed.
The former of these divisions is the Thumb bending outwards and supple at the joint underneath the nail ([Fig. 2], [Plate III].).