Finger Prints

by Francis Galton

Table XXVIII.—Children of like-patterned Parents.

The 27 cases.	Patterns of—	F.	M.	—of Sons.	Alike.	Total sons.	—of Daughters.	Alike.	Total daughters.	Total children.	Alike
1	Fore	1	1	1	1	1	1, 1	2	2	3	3
2		34	34	34	1	1	42, 48	...	2	3	1
3		40	40	41	...	1	2, 40	1	2	3	1
4		42	42	48	...	1	42	1	1	2	1
5	Middle	40	40	40	1	1	40	1	1	2	2
6		42	42	42	1	1	...	...	...	1	1
7		42	42	42	1	1	40	...	1	2	1
8		42	42	42, 38, 42, 42	3	4	40, 1	...	2	6	3
9		42	42	42	1	1	40, 42	1	2	3	2
10		42	42	48, 48, 14	1	4	42, 42, 48, 42, 42	4	5	9	5
11		42	42	42	1	1	1, 40	...	2	3	1
12		42	42	40	...	1	42, 42, 42, 42	4	4	5	4
13		42	42	1	...	1	...	...	...	1	...
14		42	42	42	1	1	42, 42, 42	3	3	4	4
15		42	42	42, 46, 42	2	3	42, 42, 42, 42, 42, 42, 42	3	3	4	4
16		42	42	34, 42	1	2	33, 42	1	2	4	2
17		42	42	42	1	1	40, 42, 1	1	3	4	2
18		42	42	...	...	...	42, 42 (twins)	2	2	2	2
19	Ring	14	14	33, 42, 14	1	3	32, 40	...	2	5	1
20		14	14	42, 16	...	2	16, 14, 42, 42	1	4	6	1
21		14	14	6	...	1	9, 35, 48, 32, 14	1	5	6	1
22		42	42	40	...	1	40	...	1	2	...
23		42	42	42, 42, 42	3	3	40, 42	1	2	5	4
24		42	42	...	...	...	40, 42	1	2	2	1
25		42	42	42, 42	2	2	42, 40, 42	2	3	5	4
26		42	42	49, 14	...	2	42, 42, 42	3	3	5	3
27		46	46	48, 40, 16	...	4	16, 38	...	2	6	...
					22	41	Daughters	37	65
							Sons	22	44
							Total Children	59	109	109	59

There are nineteen cases of both parents having the commonest of the loop patterns, No. 42, on a corresponding finger. They have between them seventy-five children, of whom forty-eight have the pattern No. 42, on the same finger as their parents, and eighteen others have loops of other kinds on that same finger, making a total of sixty-six coincidences out of the possible 75, or 88 per cent, which is a great increase upon the normal proportion of loops of the No. 42 pattern in the fore, middle, and ring-fingers collectively. Again, there are three cases of both parents having a tendrilled-loop No. 15, which ranks as a whorl. Out of their total number of seventeen children, eleven have whorls and only six have loops.

Lastly, there is a single case of both parents having an arch, and all their three children have arches; whereas in the total of 109 children in the table, there are only four other cases of an arch.

This partial analysis accounts for the whole of the like-patterned parents, except four couples, which are one of No. 34, two of No. 40, and one of No. 46. These concur in telling the same general tale, recollecting that No. 46 might almost be reckoned as a transitional case between a loop and a whorl.

The decided tendency to hereditary transmission cannot be gainsaid in the face of these results, but the number of cases is too few to justify quantitative conclusions. It is not for the present worth while to extend them, for the reason already mentioned, namely, an ignorance of the allowance that ought to be made for related patterns. On this account it does not seem useful to print the results of a large amount of tabulation bearing on the simple filial relationship between the child and either parent separately, except so far as appears in the following paragraph.

Relative Influence of the Father and the Mother.—Through one of those statistical accidents which are equivalent to long runs of luck at a gaming table, a concurrence in the figures brought out by Mr. Collins suggested to him the existence of a decided preponderance of maternal influence in the hereditary transmission of finger patterns. His further inquiries have, however, cast some doubt on earlier and provisional conclusions, and the following epitomises all of value that can as yet be said in favour of the superiority of the maternal influence.

The fore, middle, and ring-fingers of the right hands of the father, mother, and all their accessible children, in many families, were severally tabulated under the fifty-three heads already specified. The total number of children was 389, namely 136 sons and 219 daughters. The same pattern was found on the same finger, both of a child and of one or other of his parents, in the following number of cases:—

Table XXIX.

Relative Influence of Father and Mother.