Chirology

Chirology is the study of the hand as a whole (its shape, texture, finger length and flexibility) in order to infer character traits. In the nineteenth century, Captain Casimir d’Arpentigny proposed a classification of hand types, known as chirognomy, while palmistry focused on the lines. The term is also used to present hand reading in a more psychological than predictive light. It should not be confused with the medical study of the hand or with dactyloscopy, the analysis of fingerprints.