The character of the line is important. A deep line of Mercury indicates a good digestion, a healthy action of the liver, good vitality, strong constitution, a clear brain, and good memory. Whatever the type of your subject or whatever his occupation, he will have the assistance of these powerful allies. If the Life line be thin, chained, or otherwise defective, and the Mercury line deep and strong (482), its effect upon the Life line will be fully as favorable as a strong line of Mars, to build up and strengthen whatever delicacy exists; and such a Mercury line will many times replace the functions of the Life line. This will often account for the health of a person with a defective Life line.

There are no more potent factors in the healthy and vigorous operation of the brain than a good digestion and the proper action of the bile secretion. The first effect of dyspepsia is to produce intense depression. The subject becomes morbid, and sees everything through a glass colored by a disordered stomach. When the attack of dyspepsia has passed, his brain clears up and he sees things in their proper light. Thus the Mercury line will be invaluable in conjunction with the Head line in estimating mental strength and balance. A good Head line will be much disturbed by a poor Mercury line (483), and a defective condition of the head may be accounted for by a bad Mercury line (484). Disturbed action of the stomach sometimes produces functional derangement of the heart, and a poor Heart line with a defective Mercury line will often entirely account for a condition of so-called chronic heart disease (485). In such a case, if the medical treatment be directed toward the stomach, the heart disease will pass away.

In the case of a poor Heart line indicating structural difficulty of the organ, with the nails having the formation peculiar to this disorder, and all indications of color pointing to a serious case of heart disease, a deep line of Mercury often indicates such excellent digestion and liver action that the effects of the weak heart may never be markedly exhibited. On a hand having strong Life, Head, and Heart lines, and a line of Mars, a deep line of Mercury will indicate a subject who will virtually never know a day's sickness. If such a combination be seen on a hand which is animal in its Chirognomic aspect, the intense good health and strength of vitality will render the subject fierce in his passions, inordinate in his appetites, and from this class often come rapists and drunkards. Such persons should never choose indoor occupations. They need fresh air and plenty of exercise to work off the animal vitality. If with this combination there be the addition of red hair, the indications of great excesses will be intensified, and quick, fiery temper will be added. Black hair shows an abundance of volatile qualities and needs no addition from red.

If the Mercury line be thin it shows that the subject may still have good digestion, proper action of the liver, and that his health and Mercurian attributes will act in conjunction to produce success in business. The mere thinness of a Mercury line does not lessen its influence, for it shows that the subject is receiving support from good operation of the liver, though not in such a degree as with a deep line. If the type of the subject be refined, and shows good but not excessive vitality, the thin line is better for htm. In all estimates of the Mercury line, the proportion of the lines must be kept in mind, for here as everywhere else the normal balance is best. A broad, shallow Mercury line (486) shows that the subject is not vitally strong, and any severe tax upon bis stomach will result in its derangement. The liver is unsteady in its operation and secretes its bile in unequal quantities. As a consequence the subject is frequently despondent, is predisposed to sudden and violent headaches, heartburn, sour stomach, and dyspepsia.

During the intervals when the functions are properly performed, the subject gets along all right, but with such a Mercury line, constant care is necessary as to diet and hygiene, for while such subjects cannot be said to be sickly, they are not over healthy, and this weakened condition of vitality tells upon the energies, the ambitions, and the business life. A chained line of Mercury (487) indicates a positive condition of diseased liver and stomach. This must not be confounded with islands in the line, but the chains must be short loops. With this marking the subject will be predisposed to inflammation of the gall duct, gall stones, cirrhosis, and numerous structural liver troubles which are always serious and often fatal. The chained line is one of the worst formations, and the subject who has it suffers intensely, not only from the diseased condition of the liver, but from the consequent mental torpor and depression. He is pessimistic, suspicious, intensely nervous, cross, and life is a burden both to himself and to his friends.

Manifestly such a subject cannot have a clear brain, keen foresight, command of self, energy, and kindred qualities necessary to the successful pursuit of business, consequently the chained line of Mercury was read by the old palmists, "poor success in business." From our standpoint it can be seen why such a reading was taken, and that it is correct.

No. 482.

No. 483.

No. 484.

No. 485.

No. 486.

No. 487.