Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia
COMPARISON OF CREASES AT PALMPRINTS AMONGST THREE
GENERATIONS OF MALAY RACE IN MALAYSIA
1
ROSZAHARAH YAACOB, 2*RAFAQAT HUSSIN AND 1PUWIRA JAYA
1
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia,
81310, UTM Johor Bahru, Johor DarulTa’azim, Malaysia
2
IbnuSina Institute for Fundamental Science Studies, UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia,
81310 UTM Skudai, JohorDarulTa’zim, Malaysia
1
jaayaaishah_86@yahoo.com, 2*rafaqat@kimia.fs.utm.my,
1
puwira@gmail.com
*Corresponding author
Abstract.
In this paper, we present our work called “Comparison of
Creases at palm prints amongst three generations of Malay race in Malaysia”.
Comparison of palm prints from an individual with palm prints linked to a
crime may be useful as a means of including or excluding that individual as
possibly being at the scene of a crime. Questions regarding the
distinguishability of a family member’s palm prints frequently arise in forensic
casework. This study therefore aims to compare the similarities and differences
between palm prints amongst three generations of Malay race in Malaysia. The
samples of this study is based on 22 Malay families consisting of 106 family
members where a total of 212 palm prints were obtained from their left and
right palm. For comparison, presence of major, minor and secondary creases
were examined. Analysis for creases features were analyzed using magnifying
glass. This study indicated major creases are dominants where these creases
frequently pass from one generation to another. This study also showed that
minor (middle finger crease) and secondary creases (wrist hatch and hatch
creases) showed most variance amongst 13 analyzed creases.
Keywords
Creases; palm prints; family; generation
Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
1.0
INTRODUCTION
Usually, crime scene investigators (CSI) are looking for the presence of
fingerprints at crime scene to link the suspect to the crime. Nowadays, the
criminals are getting smart as they tends to destroy the presence of their
fingerprints at the crime scene because they know police or CSI will try to use
these as evidence against them. But criminals are still relatively unaware of the
vital information contained in their palmprints.
The human palm contains a lot of information which can be used to
recognize individuals. The inner surface of the palm usually contains three flexion
creases, secondary creases and ridges. The flexion creases are also called principal
lines and the secondary creases are called wrinkles. The flexion and the major
secondary creases are formed between the third and fifth months of pregnancy and
superficial lines appear after we are born. Although the three major flexions are
genetically dependent, most of other creases are not. Even identical twins have
different palmprints. These non-genetically deterministic and complex patterns are
very useful in personal identification [2].
Fingerprints are a reproduction of friction skin ridges found on the palm
side of the fingers and thumbs. Similar friction skin can also be found on the
surface of the palms and soles of the feet. Apparently, these skin surfaces have
been designed by nature to provide our bodies with a firmer grip and a resistance
to slippage. A visual inspection of friction skin reveals a series of lines
corresponding to hills (ridges) and valleys (grooves). The shape and form of the
skin ridges are what one sees as the black lines of an inked fingerprint impression
[3].
Palmar flexion crease identification has been on the periphery of forensic
identification for years. However, a thorough search of the available literature
found little information. No one within the forensic identification community has
conducted a study of the suitability of the palmar flexion crease as an
identification medium. In spite of this lack of research, palmar flexion creases
have been assumed to be a viable personal identification medium by
some.researcher. However, the lack of information has deterred most forensic
Proceeding of 3rdInternational Science Postgraduate Conference 2015 (ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
3
identification specialists from using palmar flexion creases during the
identification process[1].
The palmar surface is divided into topographic areas. Each area is
consistent with the early morphological development of the volar pads. It is
believed that these pads were at one time walking pads but now only appear on the
fetus and take a part in shaping friction ridge patterns and some flexion crease
locations. Along the base of the digits are four interdigital areas numbered one to
four, starting at the thumb side (Figure 1.1). At the base of the thumb is the thenar
area, on the opposite side of the palm is the hypothenar area area, and in the center
of the palm is the central area.
Figure 1.1: Palmar topography
Three main groups of flexion creases appear on the palms. The first group,
the Major Flexion Creases (Figure 1.2), is also the most visible. These include the
thenar crease, proximal transverse crease and the distal transverse crease. The
major flexion creases are the largest on the palm and often take on the shape of an
uncompleted letter M. At times they also appear as if they are constructed of
bundles of smaller creases similar to fiberoptic cables.
Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Figure 1.2: Major Flexion Creases A. Thenar Crease (upper crease); B. Proximal
Transverse Crease (middle crease); C. Distal Transverse Crease (below crease)
The second group of palmar creases is the Minor Flexion Creases. They are
more variable in presence, prominence and length than the major flexion creases.
There are four types of minor flexion creases: the Longitudinal or Finger Creases,
Accessory Distal Transverse Crease, “E” Lines and a Hypothenar Crease (Figure
1.3 and 1.4).
Proceeding of 3rdInternational Science Postgraduate Conference 2015 (ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
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Figure 1.3: Minor Finger Creases A. Middle Finger Crease; B. Ring Finger
Crease; C. Little Finger Crease
Figure 1.4: Minor Flexion Creases A. Accessory Distal Transverse Flexion
Crease; B. “E” Lines; C. Hypothenar Crease
The third group of flexion creases is the Secondary Creases (Figure 1.5).
Secondary flexion creases are all the remaining creases not classed as major or
minor creases. Secondary creases may be found anywhere on the palmar
surface. An example of secondary creases are the major accessory creases
(branch type creases), but they are also prevalent along the edge of the
hypothenar area (hatch creases), on the thenar eminence (checker creases), and
along the edge of the palm just above the wrist (wrist hatch creases) [1].
Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Figure 1.5: Secondary creases A. Major Accessory Creases; B.Hatch Creases; C.
Checker Creases; D. Wrist Hatch Creases
2.0
EXPERIMENTAL
2.1
Materials
The materials used in this study were white A4 papers, gloves, rollerand
fingerprint inks (Figure 2.1), two Naco windows or glass pieces and magnifying
glass.
Proceeding of 3rdInternational Science Postgraduate Conference 2015 (ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
7
Figure 2.1: Roller and fingerprint inks
2.2
Respondents of the Study
The respondents of the study were 3 generations of 22 Malay families
consisting of 106 family members (45 males and 61 females).
2.3 Research Procedure
2.3.1 Sampling
Ink was applied onto the flat surface of Naco window and spread evenly
with the aid of a roller (Figure 2.2). Palmprints were taken by pressing right and
left palms onto the Naco window and transferred them onto the white A4 paper on
an even surface. Each individual requested to apply even pressure so that all the
features from the palm could be deposited onto the white paper.
Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Figure 2.2: Ink was spread onto the Naco window with roller
2.3.2
Examination of Palmprints
The physical feature of palmprints was examined under magnifying glass
(2.5 X 100) using normal lighting condition for the presence of specific creases
such as major creases (upper creases, middle creases and below creases), minor
creases (middle finger creases, ring finger creases, little finger creases, accessory
distal transverse flexion creases, E line creases and hypothenar creases) and
secondary creases (hatch creases, checker creases, wrist hatch creases, major
accessory creases).
2.3.3
Analysis
To analyze the data, crease’s variable was taken into consideration for
palmprints. Calculation of percentage was done for certain analysis on palm prints.
Proceeding of 3rdInternational Science Postgraduate Conference 2015 (ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
9
3.0
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
We examined the presence or absence of three types of main creases at
palm print which are major, minor and secondary creases. For major crease
(upper, middle and below), we found that it is dominant crease which is frequently
passed from one generation to another. According to that fact, we cannot use this
type of creases to differentiate amongst three generations of Malay’s family in
Malaysia.
For minor crease, we examined the presence or absence of six types of
creases which are middle finger crease, ring finger crease, little finger crease,
accessory distal transverse flexion crease, E lines crease and hypothenar crease.
The most important finding to appear from the data is that only middle finger
crease shows variance amongst the subjects
Percentage of
members have
crease
Middle finger creases (right palmprint)
GF
75
80
GM
59
60
44
40
20
37
33
S
D
18
GS
0
Members
GD
Figure 3.1: Percentage of members have middle finger crease (right palm print)
Figure 3.1 shows the percentage of family members that have middle
finger crease on their right palm. It can be seen that 75 percentof sons (S) have
middle finger crease on their right hand, while 59 percent of grandmothers (GM)
had the middle finger crease compared to only 18% of Grandfathers (GF).
Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Percentage of
members have
creases
Middle finger creases (left palmprint)
89
100
50
45
55
GF
53
25
57
GM
S
D
0
GS
Members
GD
Figure 3.2: Percentage of members have middle finger crease (left palm print)
In Figure 3.2, data related to the middle finger creases at left palmprints is
presented., The data suggests that the middle finger crease feature in left palm is
most dominant in female subjects, since grandmother (GM) 55 percent, daughter
(D) 89 percent and granddaughter (GD) 57 percent had middle finger crease on
their left palm compared to GF (45%), S (25%) and GS (53%).
For secondary crease, we examined the presence or absence of four types
of creases which are hatch crease, checker crease, wrist hatch crease and major
accessory crease. A close examination of the results revealed that only hatch
crease and wrist hatch crease showed variance amongst three generations of the
subjects.
Proceeding of 3rdInternational Science Postgraduate Conference 2015 (ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
11
Percentage of
members have
crease
Hatch crease (right palmprint)
100
82
80
64
94
95
95
75
GF
GM
60
S
40
20
D
0
GS
GD
Members
Figure 3.2: Percentage of members have hatch crease (right palm print)
The results from analysis of hatch crease for right palm prints are shown in
Figure 3.2. It is obvious from this chart that the hatch crease is dominant in
female family members, where grandmother (GM) 82 percent, daughter (D) 94
percent and granddaughter (GD) 95 percent had the hatch crease in right palm
compared to GF (64%), S (75%) and GS (95%). It is worth noting that the
hatch crease feature is equally common amongst the third generation of male
and female subjects.
Percentage of
members have
crease
Hatch crease (left palmprint)
150
100
82
95
94
75
84
100
GF
GM
S
50
D
GS
0
Members
GD
Figure 3.4: Percentage of members have hatch crease (left palm print)
Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Hatch crease feature at left palm print is found in almost all female
subjects, where grandmother (GM) 95 percent, daughter (D) 94 percent and
granddaughter (GD) 100 percent had the hatch crease on their left palm
(Figure 3.4).
Percentage of
members have
crease
Wrist hatch creases (right palmprint)
100
94
82
86
80
47
60
40
20
18
25
GF
GM
S
D
GS
0
Members
GD
Figure 3.5: Percentage of members have wrist hatch crease (right palm print)
As Figure 3.5 shows, there is a significant dissimilarity between family
members. From the bar chart, we can see that the wrist hatch crease feature at right
palmis dominant in the female subjects, where grandmother (GM) 86 percent,
daughter (D) 94 percent and granddaughter (GD) 86 percent had this feature,
while only 18% of grandfathers, 25% of sons and 47% of grandsons had the wrist
hatch crease on their right palm.
Proceeding of 3rdInternational Science Postgraduate Conference 2015 (ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
13
Percentage of
members have
crease
Wrist hatch crease (left palmprint)
100
80
60
40
86
83
73
45
42
25
GF
GM
S
D
20
GS
0
Members
GD
Figure 3.6: Percentage of members have wrist hatch crease (left palm print)
Similar to the wrist hatch crease in right palm, the wrist hatch crease for
left hand is also dominant in female members of the family (Figure 3.6).
Grandmother (GM) 73 percent, daughter (D) 83 percent and granddaughter (GD)
86 percent had wrist hatch crease compared to the grandfather (45%), son (25%)
and grandson (42%).
This study involved only three generation of Malay race containing only
106 subjects, providing very limited data, however, all creases examined in this
study showed great variance amongst the male and female members of the
families as well as between different generations, indicating that these creases are
influenced by the genetic code. Further detailed studies of creases features such as
size and shape of the volar pads, branching points will enable us to generate
plethora of information which can be used to distinguish between the family
members.
4.0
CONCLUSIONS
The research investigated comparison of creases at palm prints amongst
three generations of Malay families in Malaysia. Data were collected from the
examinations of creases at palm print. This study has shown that major crease
(upper, middle and below creases) isdominant where these creasesare frequently
passed from one generation to another. Minor and secondary creases such as
Proceeding of 3rd International Science Postgraduate Conference 2015(ISPC2015)
© Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
middle finger crease, hatch crease and wrist hatch crease showed most variance
amongst three generations of subjects, these creases can be used as a characteristic
in comparison of palm prints. The results of this study support the idea that creases
can be used for palm prints comparison and can replace minutiae system which
has been used nowadays in biometric system. However, these findings are only
true for the Malay race in Malaysia.
REFERENCES
[1] Ashbaugh D.R. (1999). Quantitative – Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis: An Introduction to
Basic and Advanced Ridgeology. Washington, D.C.: Lewis Publishers.
[2] Kong,A. et al.,(2009). A survey of palmprint recognition. Pattern recognition. 42,1408-1418.
[3] Saferstein,R.(2007). Criminalistics. An Introduction To Forensic Science. (9 th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice Hall.