_Age._—In the minute germ, or embryo of a month, the form of the hand resembles that of one of the lower animals. It puts on the appearance rather of a respiratory organ than of an instrument of prehension, and, being completely destitute of fingers, presents a great analogy in form with the fin of a fish. As the little being increases in size, the fingers become gradually developed. They at first appear as small bud-like projections attached to the perfectly-formed palm. By degrees the several pieces of the fingers become more and more elongated, and at length attain their perfect length and shape; though, even at birth, the relative size of the palm, compared with the fingers, is considerably greater than in the adult. During infancy and childhood the hand retains, to a certain extent, the same character, the hand of the child being soft and thick, with a broad palm and short rudimentary fingers. With the period of puberty it attains its perfect developement, and acquires characters which it preserves throughout manhood. As old age creeps on the hand loses its softness and pliancy, it becomes hard and insensible, and its vigour, like that of the mind, may be said to be gone. “Le cal de la main, presque toujours, jette une ombre sur l’esprit,” says D’Arpentigny. Politics, science, literature—whatever active intellectual pursuit the mind formerly delighted in, commences at this period of life to lose its former charm, to be succeeded by a love of quiet rural occupation. In the language of the author just quoted, “It is when our stiffened hands, become, as it were, ossified and nearly insensible, afford a faithful image of our impoverished intelligence, that we are the most ruled by this mania for agricultural pursuits.” _Sex._—The sexes differ as much in the form of their hands as they do in the figure of the skeleton, and in the general habit and conformation of the entire body. As Carus observes, “He must be but a superficial observer of mankind who could not at once recognise the sex from a simple inspection of the hand. The hand of woman is smaller, more delicate, and much more finely articulated than that of man; it has a softer palm, and joints which are but slightly prominent. The hand of man, on the contrary, is large, firm, and broad, is furnished with strong projecting joints, and a hard wide palm, together with a large thumb, with a strong convex ball or root.” Here, again, we find the physical structure in harmony with the mental disposition—the firm, strong, broad hand of man being indicative of his active, energetic, reasoning mind; and the soft, narrow, delicate hand of woman, symbolical of her sensitive, yielding, contemplative character.