Anthropological study of digital and parietal hair of Canadians

Hair exhibits many interesting anthropologic and genetic features such as thickness and cross-sectional morphology. Digital hair, though not adequately studied to date, has potential importance as an anthropologic trait. A digital hair score system was devised in which a number of dorsally haired digital segments (nine segments) of the left fingers, excluding onychogenic segments, was used as a measure of the trait. Thickness and cross-section of the parietal hair of the Ojibwas, a tribe of Canadian Indians, and European Canadians residing in Ontario were compared with those of Japanese and Koreans residing in their respective countries. Segmental distribution of the digital hair in both males and females was similar between Ojibwas and Japanese, Koreans or Formosans, and was significantly larger in British and other European Canadians. Parietal hair of Ojibwas, both males and females, was thinner than that of Japanese, and thicker than that of British Canadians. The parietal hair index was almost equal between Ojibwas and Japanese in both sexes. That of British Canadians was significantly smaller.