ABSTRACT
The fact that body and soul are an indivisible whole is generally accepted by modern psychology and psychiatry and, therefore, need not be expounded in this book. The psycho-chirologist is, however, greatly concerned with the intercon-nectedness of organic and psychic diseases, for many illnesses of the body or the mind cannot be properly understood and explained without an investigation of both aspects. This inter-connectedness enables the chirologist to discover certain dispositions to illnesses and diseases, though I should like to stress that it is not within his province to diagnose illnesses or to give medical advice. He can, however, be of assistance to the doctor by suggesting to the person in whose hand he has found a disposition to a certain illness, that he should seek medical advice, a step which may prove prophylactic. A word of caution must be added in this respect, for most people who consult a chirologist are more or less open to suggestion and particularly inclined to be influenced in matters concerning their state of health. As stated above, various features of the hand sometimes provide us with the possibility of discovering in time certain dangers to a person's state of health and of ascertaining with certainty which organ or organs of the body are weaker than the rest. The fingers, which are expressive of the physical and psychical functions of the personality, are very revealing in this respect, but before dealing with this physiological aspect we shall devote our attention to their general chirological significance.
