Interrelationship between the Fingerprint and Sasang Constitutional Types

Kim, Yi Suk; Chung, Min Suk; Park, Seong Sik

Abstract

In oriental medicine, classification of the Sasang constitutional types (Tae-Yang, Tae-Eum, So-Yang, and So-Eum) is important for the treatment. To classify the Sasang constitutional types, the old methods such as pulse palpation are not objective; the recent methods such as immunohematology are expensive, painful, and time consuming. To overcome this problem, a body measurement, one of the anthropological methods, has been developed. The purpose of this study was to define whether the fingerprint, other one of the anthropological methods, is helpful to classify the Sasang constitutional types. Thus, we looked for the interrelationship between the fingerprint and Sasang constitutional types. Before analyzing the fingerprint, two kinds of questionnaires for classifying the Sasang constitutional types were surveyed on 760 Koreans (465 males, 295 females). As there was no Tae-Yang individual, we only could find the fingerprint characteristics of Tae-Eum(288 persons), So-Yang (193 persons), and So-Eum(279 persons) individuals. In the fingerprints of Tae-Eum individual, the arch types were more frequent, and the loop types were less frequent. These characteristics were prominent in female, right, second, and fifth fingers. In those of So-Yang individual, the arch types were less frequent, and the whorl types were more frequent. These characteristics were prominent in male, female, left, first, second, third, and fifth fingers. In those of So-Yang individual, fingerprint ridge count was greater in fourth finger. In those of So-Eum individual, loop types were more frequent, and whorl types were less frequent. These characteristics were prominent in male, right, left, first, third, and fifth fingers. In those of So-Eum individual, fingerprint ridge count was lesser. These characteristics were prominent in male, fourth, and fifth fingers. The fingerprint seems to be helpful to classify the Sasang constitutional types.