BRIEF COMMUNICATION

Sole Dermatoglyphics of XYY Patients J. MAVALWALA, H. THOMPSON, C. PARKER AND G. WILSON Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA, Depa7tment of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, and Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara

ABSTRACT The low incidence of a tibial loop in the distal hypothenar area of the sole is suggested as a diagnostic feature for XYY patients. No other prepubertal feature is on record.

In an earlier publication (Mavalwala et al., '69) it was suggested that a tibial loop, L', in the distal hypothenar area of the sole could be used as a diagnostic feature for XYY males (fig, 1).

HALLUC- \ I

\ I DISTAL

PROXIMAL

CALCAR

Figure 1

Upon examination of further data i t appears that this dermatoglyphic feature displays a significantly lower frequency in XYY's than in normal males, when we consider those patients who display this feature on both soles (table 1).

Dr. Thompson supplied data on 11 patients, and Dr. Parker supplied data on three patients. All have been cytologically verified as XYY.

The normals are male students of gen- eral European ancestry from the Univer- sity of California, Santa Barbara, and were screened by G. Wilson. Fifty males over six feet, and 50 males below six feet in stature were screened. The data is pooled since no significant differences were ob- served.

This particular dermatoglyphic feature has not been commented upon in reports on other chromosomal anomalies, and only three other studies could be located in the anthropological literature (Takeya, '34; Montgomery, '26; Harkness-Miller, Ph.D. Thesis) that reported the frequency of this trait.

If validated by further studies this fea- ture should prove to be a useful pre- pubertal diagnostic aid.

TABLE 3

Loop tibia2 in the distal hypothenar area of the sole

Case Cases Right Left Bothsoles

% % % XYYpatients 14 21.4 14.3 14.3 Normals

(males) 100 46.0 34.0 25.0

145 Am. J. Pays. ANTHROP., 32: 145-146.

146 J. MAVALWALA, H. THOMPSON, C. PARKER AND G. WILSON

LITERATURE CITED Montgomery, R. B. 1925 Sole patterns. A study of the footprints of two thousand individuals. Anat. Rec., 33: 107-114.

DematoglYPhics Of the xyy syndrome' Am* Harkness-Miller, F. 1938 Application of a new J. Phys. Anthrop., 30: 209-213. method of formulating plantar dermatoglyphics

Takeya, S. 1934 Uber die Hautleistenfigur der with a statistical study of the palm and sole Planta der Chinesen. J. Orient. Med., 20: 54- prints of a hundred women. Thesis, Univ. of 58, 495-523. Toronto.

Mavalwala, J., C. E. Parker and J. Melnyk 1969