A Possible Climatic Effect on Nail Growth

Abstract

The rate of growth of fingernails was measured in 40 subjects in temperate and arctic conditions. Although the rate varied considerably from individual to individual, it tended to be slightly more rapid on the third finger than on the first, on the right hand than on the left and in those who habitually bit their nails. Nail growth was markedly retarded in the Arctic, for which a climatic influence is postulated, achieved perhaps through circulatory variations. Submitted on January 21, 1958