Palm reading (also known as palmistry or chiromancy) remains one of my favorite pseudosciences. One of its first proponents was Aristotle, who introduced the practice to Alexander the Great as a means of revealing the character of his soldiers. It was (and is) practiced in many regions, including India, Sumeria, Tibet, Babylonia, Europe, Egypt and Persia.
It centres on the idea that lines on the hand are an indication of somebody's character (as a result of what has happened to them in the past) and can therefore be used to divine their future.
The claim that the condition of the hands can be indicative of somebody's health and therefore give information about their character is feasible to some extent - some genetic conditions do give rise to subtle changes in the structure of the hands. However, pseudoscientific claims that this can be extrapolated to indicate future events seems more than a little far fetched to me.
The handout below is my attempt to produce a guide to doing your own palmistry in order to make up your own mind:
Palm Reading for Dummies
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