[The dermatoglyphic analysis of polydactyly and the segregation of the morphogenetic fields of the fingers in man].

We studied dermatoglyphic imprints of patients with preaxial or postaxial polydactyly. Development of the additional finger is shown to be always accompanied by the corresponding finger triradius and basic line; postaxial polydactylies are characterized by the circular epidermal ridges around the rudiment of the sixth finger and the presence of the second additional triradius. On the basis of these data we suggest that major lines of the palm and finger triradii serve as landmarks denoting the borders of individual morphogenetic fields of fingers during their segregation from general morphogenetic field of the hand which is related to the polar system of coordinates.