Doctors Practiced Medical Palmistry

Medical practitioners historically examined palm creases the way palmists do, not as superstition but as observational heuristics — for example, midwives and physicians noted the 'simian line' and its correlation with chromosomal anomalies such as trisomy 21. The boundary between occult palmistry and clinical sign‑reading has been porous, shaped by changing diagnostic standards and scientific framing. — Recognizing that clinical practice once incorporated 'palmistry' reframes debates about how superficial physical markers become medicalized and warns against uncritical uptake of simple biomarkers today.