Medical anthropological aspects of hand phalanx dermatoglyphics

Main and middle phalanx skin patterns represent a polymorphic hereditary system of signs practically not studied in anthropology, but interesting for forensic medicine and criminology from the viewpoint of expert evaluation of relation and personality identification. Based on a vast scope of data (600 hand impressions of 300 subjects from Russian families), a classification of patterns on the main and middle finger phalanges has been developed and their incidence evaluated. The proposed classification includes 15 types and 40 subtypes. The incidence of individual patterns on phalanges of different site and order has been determined. The problem of genetic determination, i.e. inheritance of certain patterns from father and mother, remains open and requires a special research.     

“髡刑”的法人类学考察

髡,剃发也,是中国古代的一种刑罚。对于髡刑,学者有不同意见,其实髡刑是将犯人的长发剪为长三寸左右的短发。根据法人类学的材料,髡所以成为刑罚,与古人对头发的迷信观念有关。髡刑虽没有肉体痛苦,但由于古人相信头发是人体精气之所在,剃去头发将伤害生命和健康,所以受刑者会遭受精神上的痛苦。从这种意义上讲,髡刑是一种精神刑罚。     

新时期语言规范趋势初探

长时期以来,语言的规范都是以匡谬正俗为主导意识和主要模式的,随着社会的发展,在文化多元的社会中,新的语言现象不断涌现,利用科学的态度和方法整理、研究和规范语言,是语言规范服务观念的体现。从匡谬正俗到及时发现和介绍新的好的语言现象,应该是语言规范的进步,也更有待于实践的检验和进一步的发展。