The fate of a violin player resides in their pinky finger!

The violin is known as the instrument most commonly offered to children by state schools in the UK. It’s a challenging instrument, because rapid independent motion of the digital joints in the left hand is desirable… and a requirement in order to become a top violin player! A brand new study focussed on the pinky finger was designed after an 11-year-old patient volunteered that she had given up playing the violin because of difficulty and discomfort manoeuvring the left small and ring fingers independently. On examination, she was found to have absent FDS (flexor digitorum superficialis) function in the small finger – a condition that can be found in about 6% of the general populaton.

Do you have the ‘flexor digitorum superficialis’?

You can test this right now at home (see also the video below): hold down the index, middle, and ring fingers of your left hand, then try to bend your little finger. Now try it again, but allow your ring finger to bend as well.

Can you do it?

The UK study revealed that about 18 percent of people can do neither!

However, in a group of 90 professional musicians from “three of London’s leading orchestras” (38 first violinists, 33 second violinists, 19 viola players), none lacked this ability, and all but two were able to bend just their pinky finger!!!

Via: The Atlantic

Denzel Washington developed his early acting skills with a ‘pinky finger trick’!

Denzel Washington showing his 'freaky' pinky finger

Top actor Denzel Washington probably developed his early acting skills with the help of his ‘trick pinky’. Manchurian Candidate co-star Kimberly Elise described in 2004 (quoted from People):

“He has this pinkie that goes out of joint” — Washington says he’ll soon have surgery on it — “and he’d freak you out with it. He’ll tell a child, ‘come and touch my pinkie,’ and it will collapse.”

Denzel Washington described once that he broke his pinky finger in an accident during his childhood, and never had it fixed.
Many sources on the internet – including IMDB - laimed that his pinkie is in a permanent state bent at the bottom knuckle a full 45 degrees outward from his other fingers. But that is not the case: it’s just that basically the problem of concern is that his pinky only sometimes gets dislocated from it’s proximal joint – see pictures below!

Obviously, Denzel Washington liked to fool-around a lot with his ‘freaky’ pinkie – and one could imagine that his minor handicap even played a significant role in how he developed his early skills as an actor!!!

Discover more about Denzel Washington’s hands at the Modern Hand Reading Forum

Read more about the unusual hand characteristics of other celebrities:

• Actress Megan Fox has a clubbed thumb
• Actor Hrithik Roshan has a double thumb
• More stories about the hands of 20+ movie stars

Denzel Washington’s handprint at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre:

PORTRAIT – Michelle Obama, into the hands of the 1st African-American ‘First Lacy’!

What are the major hand characteristics of the 1st Afro-American ‘First Lady’? Just like her husband, Michelle Obama has a ‘low 2D:4D digit ratio’. But unlike Barack Obama, she has a double ‘head line’ – in medical science a.k.a. the distal transverse crease.

Michelle Obama’s ‘digit ratio’ appears to be close to 0.94, which is rather low – even for an African-American woman.

NOTICE: The average ‘ digit ratio ‘ for women is close to 0.98, but in Afro-Americans the average ‘digit ratio’ is slightly lower – likely close to 0.96.

A typical female-like characteristic is her short pinky finger, which has been associated with ‘higher emotional sensitivity’ – a high score on the Big Five dimension Neuroticism (which is associated with persons who are easily upset in the face of very minor stresses; a person with high neuroticism gets easily: anxious, worried, moody & unstable).

But her ‘low digit ratio’ indicates that she does put this ‘higher emotional sensitivity’ into action, which might explain why during the presidential campaign media have tried to label her as an “angry black woman“.

Nevertheless, it appears that her populatity has not suffered on her husband’s  Presidential Approval Index rating of -20.

According the ‘The Encyclopedia of Palmistry‘ a ‘double head line’ has been associated with versatility and a great command of language & determination. But it could also point to having ‘two persona’. So maybe the ’double head line’ provides a clue why the current ‘First Lady’ was able to turn her career  as a layer into a fashion icon and role model for women, and a notable advocate for poverty awareness and healthy eating.

MORE FAMOUS HANDS:
• More famous hands: celebrities, movie stars, and many more!

Tribute: the hands of Nelson Mandela – ‘Hand of Africa’!

“Hand of Africa” – by Nelson Mandela! (Part of ‘The Hands of Nelson Mandela‘ tribute) In 2007 Nelson Mandela presented his famous lithography series titled: ‘My Robben Island’. The lithograph in this exhibit with the highest price tag ($32,000) was made by accident when Mandela placed his hand in wet ink – see the picture above. The idea of hand prints however intrigued him and he began to make several images. Only later did an assistant point out the iconic image inside the right hand print of the painting now in front of us. In the center of Mandela’s right palm shows a clear silhouette of the African continent. This is how Nelson Mandela became the most commercially successful artist of the twentieth century. The Robben Island Series of charcoal and pastel sketches was completed by Nelson Mandela between March and June 2002. Mandela said about his scetches: “These sketches not so much about my life as they are about my own country, I drew hands because they are powerful instruments, hands can hurt or heal, punish or uplift. They can also be bound but a quest for righteousness can never be repressed. In time, we broke loose the shackles of injustice, we joined hands across social divides and national boundaries, between continents and over oceans and now we look to the future, knowing that even if age makes us wiser guides, it is the youth that remind us of love, of trust and the value of life.” “Impressions of Africa” (left) & “Hand of Africa” (right) by Nelson Mandela. “IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA”: Signed, limited edition lithograph – Paper Size: 650 x 500 mm. Throughout history few have left so indelible an imprint on the international stage as Nelson Mandela. His courage, his compassion and his humanity are among the qualities than have led to this Nobel laureate being recognized as the world\’s greatest living statesman. It is therefore fitting that the extraordinary imprint of his right hand should so closely resemble the shape of the continent of Africa. It is as though its rhythms, sources of strength and dynamism were reflected in the character of this truly amazing man who is now also a talented artist. Never did a single individual more powerfully symbolize the hopes of a nation. South Africa became free in the way that it did because his hand reached out to all and thus his name became a beacon of hope to oppressed peoples throughout the world. The edition is limited to 1,000 hand printed lithographs. The print is numbered 263/1000. All plates have been destroyed. “HAND OF AFRICA”: Signed, limited edition lithograph – Paper Size: 650 x 500 mm. Africa has historically had a capacity for suffering which has often seemed almost infinite. Slavery and colonialism, a poverty, is afflicting millions throughout the continent. In the second of these works, the imprints of the hands of children surround that of Nelson Mandela\’s left hand. Nelson Mandela, now in his eighties but as resolute as ever, is once again reaching out to answer the new cry from children in his beloved country. The edition is limited to 500 hand printed lithographs. This print is numbered 239/500. All plates have been destroyed. More of Nelson Mandela’s sketches are available at Gallery Peter Herrmann More Nelson Mandel handimpression from the 46664 concert project. On 29 November 2003 an event called the ’46664 Concert’ was held at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. It was hosted by Mandela and its goal was to raise awareness of the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. In 2005 follow-up 46664 concerts were presented in George, South-Africa and Madrid, Spain. The meaning of the number 46664 is explained as follows: Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island in 1964, and was the 466th prisoner to arrive that year. The prison administration’s scheme of numbering prisoners was to follow the sequence number of the prisoner (466 in his case), with the last two digits of the year (64).[1] The number was imposed on him by the prison for over 25 years, until his release in 1990. “Prisoner 46664″ continues to be used, as a reverential title for him, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation uses 46664.com as its website address. Shortly before Joe Strummer’s death, he and U2′s Bono co-wrote the song “46664″ for Mandela as part of the campaign against AIDS in Africa. On July 18, 2009, the 91st birthday of Nelson Mandela, the first ever Nelson Mandela day was organized. Nelson Mandela in a t-shirt of the first ‘Nelson Mandela day’ at july 18, 2009. And on november 26, 2009 the United Nations decided to declare July 18 as: Nelson Mandela International Day. Interestingly, the story behind this announcement is quite remarkable: after Mandela – While branded a terrorist by the US Government – was allowed in 1990 to speak in New York at the United Nations General Assembly. It took another 18 years before the United States finally removed Nelson Mandela and ANC party members from their designated terrorist list. Finally, a few more impressions from Nelson Mandela’s hands … who became also known as the first black president of South-Africa (1994-1999). [Additional curiosity: the most remarkable hand characteristic in Nelson Mandela's hands is the extra crease on the lower phalange of his pinky fingers.] SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: • The Hand of Nelson Mandela – photos, articles & videos • Presidential palm readings: the hands of 10 US presidents! • Famous hands gallery – the hand of politicians

James Blunt showing his palmprint & fingerprints!

• Hands up for James Blunt – HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTO! • More hands of fame! HOW JAMES BLUNT BROKE HIS LITTLE FINGER… In 2008 the former NATO peacekeeper – who served in 1999 as a officer in the NATO deployment in Kosovo – needed an operation on the little finger on his right hand after he got mobbed by crazed fans during a stage dive at a gig in Asheville, North Carolina. It appears that his career has not shown much progress since the accident… and it appears that since then he never ‘showed’ his hand again. Some typical characteristics of James Blunt’s hand are: • The arch fingerprint on his pointer finger (the photo also demonstrates that he has a relatively normal small ‘ulnar loop’ fingerprint on his middle finger): James Blunt once described “fame and celebrity is something that other people have constructed that I’m not really party to” – a typical statement for ‘earth people’; • The long ring finger (+ a slightly low 2D:4D digit ratio): a relatively common characteristic in the hand of a muscian (including: singers/performers); • The long pinky finger: a typical characteristic for a man who appears to score pretty low on the personality dimension Extroversion; • A strong ‘Girdle of Venus’: in modern palm reading often associated with creative sensibility; • A rather short heartline… okay, James sings a lot about love – how about his personal life? Anyway, what do your think… does the hand of James Blunt reveal anything about his personality? Maybe you can try the ‘Do You Like James Blunt?’ Personality Quiz. SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: • The hand of famous musicians – including: Elvis Presley, Frédérique Chopin, Franz Lizst, Michael Jackson, Madonna & Thom Yorke James Blunt (2007).

DOWN SYNDROME – 27 Characteristics of the hand in trisomy 21!

Phantom picture of the hand in Down syndrome! In 1963 L.S. Penrose presented the first ‘phantom picture’ describing the typical hand characteristics in Down syndrome. More detailed ‘phantom pictures’ were presented by Schaumann & Alter (1976), Rodewald (1981). This month (2010) a more detailed updated version of the visualisation became available – featuring 27 characteristics of the hand in Down’s syndrome! What are the most common hand characteristics in Down syndrome? HAND LINES: A common characteristic is the presence of the famous ‘simian line‘; an alternative is the presence of a Sydney line. DERMATOGLYPHICS: Here one should especially notice the hypothenar zone of the hand (in palmistry a.k.a. ‘mount of moon’); usually this zone a large ‘ulnar loop’ pattern combined with a high positioned palmar axial triradius. HAND SHAPE: Short fingers (thumb and pinky finger are often abnormally short) + a square shaped palm. NOTICE: The author of the new ‘phantom picture’ for Down syndrome described a specific guideline which states that in all cases of Down syndrome certain combinations of the 27 characteristics are found in both the fingers AND the palm of the hand! More details available at: How to use the famous ‘single palmar crease’ (a.k.a. simian line) as a marker in hand diagnostics! Photo: example of a baby hand in Down syndrome