Original Communication
Gender differentiation by finger ridge count among South Indian population

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2011.01.006Get rights and content

Abstract

The goal of this study is to determine the gender based on finger ridge count within a well-defined area. Rolled fingerprints were taken from 550 subjects (275 men and 275 women) belonging to South Indian population all within the age range of 18–65 years. Results show that women have a significantly higher ridge count than men. Application of Baye’s theorem suggests that a fingerprint possessing ridge density <13 ridges/25 mm2 is most likely to be of male origin. Likewise, a fingerprint having ridge count >14 ridges/25 mm2 are most likely to be of female origin. These results are helpful as a tool for fingerprint experts as they can be used as a presumptive indicator of gender based on the degree of ridge density.

Introduction

Dactylography is the process of taking impressions of the pulp of the fingers and thumbs on an unglazed white paper and examining them with a magnifying lens.1 Although fingerprints have been noted and used since antiquity, a 25-year burst of activity that secured adoption of their use for identification began about 1880s. New modifications and applications have continued to the present.2 No two fingers are found to have identical prints, and it is an overwhelming mathematical probability that no two ever will be found to match.3 It has long been recognized that the fingers, palms of the hands and soles of the feet of human bear friction ridge skin. These areas are characterized by a complicated pattern of “hills and valleys”. The hills are called ridges and the valleys furrows.4

Many studies have been carried out on the method of storing fingerprints, for rapid search and matching of fingerprints in computers around the world, but very few studies5, 6, 7 are available on determining the gender of an individual from friction ridge count of a fingerprint. Hence this study was taken up to determine the gender of an individual from finger ridge count among South Indian population.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The study was conducted in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, J.S.S. Medical College, Mysore, India. In this study 550 subjects (275 men and 275 women) were randomly picked from South Indian population, all within the age group of 18–65 years. Non Resident Indians and subjects from Central, Western and Eastern India were excluded from the study. Subjects with any evidence of disease and injury of the fingertips that was likely to alter the fingerprint pattern (leprosy, scars of

Results

Descriptive statistics of ridge density in both males and female subjects are shown in Table 1.

The mean value of ridge density for male was 12.57 and that of female was 14.14.

Table 2 shows the probability density for men (c) and women (c1) and using these values, the likelihood ratios (c/c1) and (c1/c) were calculated.

The statistical analysis of likelihood ratio and odds ratio shows that ridge count ≤13 ridges/25 mm2 is more likely to be of male origin (p = 0.30), whereas ridge count ≥14

Discussion

Various studies5, 6, 7 have been conducted on ridge count, mainly for race determination and genetic inheritance, but not many studies10, 11, 12 have been conducted for gender determination by fingerprint ridge count. This study shows that women of South Indian origin have significantly higher ridge count (mean = 14.14) when compared to men (mean = 12.57).

The results obtained in this study are similar to those obtained by Sudesh10 and higher values obtained by Acree.12 The results of this study

Limitations

In this study 550 subjects of South Indian population were considered. Similar studies must be carried out on a larger population and focus on people from various racial origins. Additionally, further replicate studies should be conducted on South Indian population. If these limitations are overcome, then gender differentiation by finger ridge density would be much more valuable and accurate.

Conclusion

The results of this study support the hypothesis that women commonly have greater ridge density than males. The differences between male and female ridge density are statistically significant, with the ridge count of ≤13 ridges/25 mm2. The results show that women have more ridge density than men.

Conflict of Interest

None declared.

Funding

None.

Ethical approval

None.

References (15)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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