Investigation of the Palmar Sweat Count of Young Male Subjects under Normal Conditions

Abstract

Numbers of active sweat glands - designated the palmar sweat index - in 4 mm. sq. of the right middle finger pad were observed daily under standard conditions in 20 male students over periods of 7 - 28 days. Two basically different groups emerged differentiated by the variance of their daily counts; a "regular" group with low variance (40. 2) and an "irregular" group with high variance (685. 8). The difference between the means for the groups was highly significant. Basic levels of the palmar sweat index were significantly different between individuals but were found to alter unpredictably with the passage of time. It was suggested that statistical analysis of work in this field should take into account the existence of these 2 groups and treat each separately and that trials on small numbers of subjects should be encompassed within a short period.