A manual of cheirosophy : being a complete practical handbook of the twin sciences of cheirognomy and cheiromancy, by means whereof the past, the present, and the future may be read in the formations of the hands ; preceded by an introductory argument upon the science of cheirosophy and its claims to rank as a physical science / by Ed. Heron-Allen ... with full-page and other illustrations by Rosamund Brunel Horsley.

  • Heron-Allen, Edward, 1861-1943.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of cheirosophy : being a complete practical handbook of the twin sciences of cheirognomy and cheiromancy, by means whereof the past, the present, and the future may be read in the formations of the hands ; preceded by an introductory argument upon the science of cheirosophy and its claims to rank as a physical science / by Ed. Heron-Allen ... with full-page and other illustrations by Rosamund Brunel Horsley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    causes the feeling of revulsion and of sickness which ensues, when the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet are tickled; it is by reason of this that in fever the hands become burning hot, whilst the rest of the body, which is more muscular than nervous [as opposed to the hands, which are more nervous than muscular], is cold; and the hands and feet become numbed by cold or fear sooner than the rest of the body, by reason of the high development of the vaso- motor nerve arrangements in them, added to the circumstances of their rich blood-supply, distance from the heart and delicate skin covering, thus showing that the hand acts as the thermometer, so to speak, of the life. Without the hand, principal seat as it is of the Sense of Touch, the other senses would be com- paratively useless; the sense of Touch is the only sense which is reciprocal. [In the sense referred to by Sir Walter Scott, where he alludes to the sensations pro- duced by touching one’s own body unconsciously.30a] That is, though the senses of Sight, Hearing, Taste, and Smell, can only receive impressions without giving them, that of Touch both receives and gives; and it is this sense of Touch, dependent as it is upon the nervous system, which is the most important of all, and which is found in its highest state of development where that ner- vous system is the most complete, namely, in the hand. I cannot, I think, do better than follow the prin- ciples upon which Bernstein discusses the physiology of the sense of Touch, as an introduction to this section of my argument.31 Every sensory organ may be shown Elementary indications. 140. The sense of touch. Its superiority. 141. Physiology of the sense of touch. Bernstein PI ON, where he says, BtjSX. T'., Kc0. L “nXetcrra 5’etm pevpa Trepl Toils irbSas kcli ras Kai ’rXeupas /cal u/j.oir\<xTas /cal 7repl rbv atixiva /cal ire pi to vs PpaxLovas.” 30* Sir Walter Scott, “Letters to J. G. Lockhart on Demonology and Witchcraft” (London, 1830), Letter 1. 31 Julius Bernstein, “The Five Senses of Man” (London, *883), 4th Edition.