THE LINE OF LIFE AND ITS VARIATIONS  
The Line of Life is that line which runs round the base of the thumb and lies directly over a large blood-vessel called the great Palmer Arch (1-1, Plate VIII.). This blood-vessel is more directly connected with the heart, stomach, and vital organs which may have given use to its term "The Vital," as used by the ancients.
 
It is reasonable to assume that it is this intimate connection with the vital organs of the body which enables it to foretell the length of life from natural causes.
 
If the student will bear this in mind it will make clear and plain to him many difficulties in connection with predictions as to health and disease, and he will follow more easily the following explanations.
 
The first rules to master are, that to be normal the Line of Life should be long, clearly marked, and without any irregularities or breaks of any kind. Such a formation would indicate length of life, vitality, freedom from illness, and strength of constitution (1-1, Plate VIII.).
 
Bearing the first observation in mind it will be noticed that as the Line of Life represents the stomach and the vital organs, when well marked the[Pg 37] stomach and digestion must necessarily be in a good condition.
 
 
Plate VIII. THE LINE OF LIFE AND SECTIONS OF INFLUENCES FROM THE MOUNTS. Plate VIII. THE LINE OF LIFE AND SECTIONS OF INFLUENCES FROM THE MOUNTS.
When made up of little pieces or linked like a chain, it is a certain sign of poor health, weak stomach and lack of vitality.
 
At this point I must ask the most careful attention to the following rules—which no other book on the subject contains, and which I have not published in any of my other writings, viz.: as the Line of Life[Pg 38] seems in every sense to be the representative on the hand of the body or trunk of the man—so the position of these breaks, marks, links, or islands denotes the portion of the body most affected.
 
Before we go further I must also impress on the student to grasp the fact that every line or sign on the hand plays a dual r?le. By one of their r?les these lines indicate the disease the person is most liable to for the entire run of the life, and in another r?le these lines indicate the date when the illness will reach its greatest gravity.
 
To explain carefully this strange phenomenon of nature, I have divided this line into sections (see Plate VIII.), and although I am not writing on astrology in these pages, yet all believers in that science may be interested to find how wonderfully these twin sciences agree when the comparison is pointed out by an impartial observer such as I claim to be.
 
In Plate VIII. are shown the Sections of the Line of Life with their various tendencies divided by the mounts at the base of the fingers. This will materially assist the student to comprehend their significance and, together with the influence of the month of birth as set out in the chapters on the Mounts of the Hand (page 140), will enable him to obtain an accuracy on all matters relating to health, diseases, and dangers to the life that up till now has never been attained.
 
We will now proceed to consider the details as regards the Line of Life itself.
 
THE LINE OF LIFE
 
It is very important at the outset to consider the qualities of this very important line. In some hands[Pg 39] it is broad and shallow on the surface of the hand, in others it is deep and fine; the appearance of this line is very often deceptive, and leads students astray when they have not had their attention called to its appearance.
 
The broad, shallow Line of Life often leads people to suppose that it is a sign of a very healthy, robust constitution; but, on the contrary, such an indication is not nearly as good a sign as a clear, thin, deep line. The broad Life Line seems to belong to people who have more robust animal strength, whereas the finer line relates to people who have more nerve or will-force. Under any strain of ill-health, it is the finer line that will hold out, whereas the broad-looking line has not the same resisting force.
 
Very broad lines on the hand denote more muscular strength than will power, and I cannot impress this difference too strongly on the minds of my readers. If the line is made of chain formation (1-1, Plate IX.), it is a sure sign of a tendency to bad health, and especially so if the hand be soft. The same marks on a hard, firm hand would not indicate as much delicacy, because hard, firm hands denote in themselves a robust constitution.
 
Another important point to consider is, whether the Line of Life goes straight up to the side of the Mount of Venus and narrows that Mount (2-2, Plate IX.), or whether it forms a well-defined curve or semicircle out into the palm (3-3, Plate IX.). In the first case it indicates a naturally more delicate constitution, and less force of animal magnetism. This explanation will be readily understood by readers when I again call their attention to the fact that one of the most important blood-vessels going from the body to the[Pg 40] hand is called the Great Palmer Arch, which carries the blood up to the hand towards the root of the thumb, and carries the circulation back on the other side of the Arch almost underneath the Line of Life. It will, therefore, be seen that people who have a weaker constitution are more likel............