A Prospective Study to Determine Any Correlation between Unnatural Death, Life Line, and Hand Anthropometry

Abstract

A study of palm lines, various landmarks on the hand, and their correlation with the hand's anthropometric dimensions may sometimes help predict various future events in the life of an individual. We try to find out any correlation between these appearances and the sudden death of an individual. In the present study, we collected data from an individual’s hand after carefully breaking the rigor mortis in the deceased brought for medicolegal postmortem examination and measured the different dimensions. The data were then subjected to statistical analysis.

The article may help rule out the cultural belief about the study of the lifeline and age at the time of death. Palmistry is a self-interpretation of changes in or around the lifeline by an individual, and it varies from person to person. There is no concrete literature proof available that suggests its importance in ascertaining the age of the individual.

We also observed that there is no close relation between the age interpreted by the lifeline and the biological age of the individual. Our study shows that the individual either lives too long or too short compared to age by the lifeline.

We observed that unnatural deaths are more common in young individuals, and males outnumber females. According to the cause of death, hanging, accident, and poisoning are the most common, followed by sudden death and homicide. In our study, we observed that there is no correlation between unnatural death and the lifeline of an individual and age at the time of death.