Study of Correlation between Length of Thumb and Stature in Uttarakhand Population

Human beings are considered to be bilaterally symmetrical. However, there is an asymmetry in the length of the thumb, index finger of both hands irrespective of sex or handedness; estimation of stature of an individual plays an important role for medico-legal fixation of identity. This study looks into the possibility of estimation of stature from length of thumb.

In this study 200 subjects (100 males and 100 females) between the ages of 21 to 30 years were taken from Uttarakhand (India) population. Their thumb length and height were measured using the standard points mentioned by the previous authors, and data was analyzed statistically for correlation. The results showed a significant correlation between length of thumb and height of the individuals in both sexes. Linear regression equation for stature estimation was calculated. It is therefore concluded that if the thumb length is known, then height of individual can be predicted and vice versa. This could be of help in medico-legal cases for the stature estimation for identification as well as in fixation of identity.