This section is from the book "The Laws Of Scientific Hand Reading", by William G. Benham. Also available from Amazon: The Laws of Scientific Hand Reading.
We have now followed the Saturnian from the sober "balance-wheel," through a series of developments and characteristics to the wretch just described. You can appreciate the gravity of this type, and the handling of the Mount must be done with great care. With a pronounced Saturnian development, use all your powers to learn how much of it is in the subject uncounteracted by other qualities. Some Saturnian should be present, for the absence of any makes an unbalanced character, but the subject wants only just enough to give the balance needed. Any excess will make a morbid, melancholy, gloomy person, pessimistic and stingy. The very strong Mount and finger, or, which occurs more often, all the fingers and apices leaning toward the finger of Saturn, will show the good type I have described, who is peculiar but not necessarily evil. The excessively grilled or crossed development of the Mount, bad Heart-line and with crooked, gnarled fingers and hard hand, will show the bad type. Everything you know should be brought to bear on the case when a Saturnian is before you, in order to determine how strongly the qualities of the type are developed.
In health matters there are certain diseases to which Saturnians are predisposed, and in a strongly Saturnian subject, with bad health showing on the Life line, it is nine chances to one that the trouble will be one of the diseases peculiar to the type; which one can be told by the nails, color, or some other health indication.
First of all the Saturnian is the purely bilious type. His is not a temporary trouble of the liver, but a structural disease of the organ, hence the presence of bile poison in the blood. This makes the Saturnian yellow, which color will be found tinging his nails, palm, lines, and Mount. All the troubles which yellow color indicates, both as to health and temperament, are to be attributed to the subject if that color is present. As bile in the blood creates intense nervousness, the Saturnian is troubled with this as one of his health difficulties. If this nervousness goes far it causes danger of paralysis. The degree of nerve trouble is easy to determine from the nails, which should be carefully noted. Rheumatism is another trouble, also hemorrhoids and varicose veins; the tendency toward the two latter can be determined by noting how prominently the veins on the hands stand out, seeming as if filled with hard blood. The paralysis which threatens this type will probably attack his lower limbs, for there is his weak point.
His teeth are delicate, and he is liable to ear trouble, which is indicated by dots or small islands on the line of Head under the Mount of Saturn. With every Saturnian subject look for these health difficulties if any disturbance is seen on the line of Life. A grille or cross-bars on the Mount of Saturn will suggest health defects of the type, which can be easily located from nails, etc. In estimating the degree of strength of the type, bring to bear all your knowledge. Texture of the skin will show whether the subject is refined or coarse. The finer the grade the less liability of the development of the evil side. Such a subject may be blue or despondent, but not necessarily a pessimist.
The coarse texture of skin will make all the Saturnian qualities coarse. It will emphasize the hatred for mankind, will make an inciter of riot; one who wants complete liberty and rebels against restraint of any kind. Fine or medium texture is best. Flexibility of the hand will greatly modify the severity of the type. The elastic mind will not so readily yield to gloom, despondency, or bad instincts as the unyielding mind, shown by the stiff hand. The Saturnian is naturally stingy, and the stiff hand adds greatly to this tendency, while the flexible hand takes away from it. A flexible hand will make the subject likely to enjoy the society of his fellow-men; a stiff hand will make him shun and hate mankind intensely. With the flexible hand look for a good type; with the stiff hand look out for a mean, unenlightened, selfish exhibition of bad qualities and tendencies.
If his hand has flabby consistency, his laziness will make him useless. He will indulge all his morbid tendencies, for he will not work, and labor might throw off some of his bad side. Being lazy and still possessing the qualities of his type, he will talk a great deal, will rail at capital, trusts, and all things which are successful, and from this class of lazy Saturnians often come the anarchists who throw bombs. Soft hands will be a slight improvement over the flabby. This subject will not be quite so lazy and will have higher ideals. Elastic consistency is the best, for it will show a proper amount of energy, which will keep the liver more active and reduce the gloom and morbidity of the subject. He will have the elastic qualities of mind and method, the intelligent energy which will lift him out of much of his difficulty. Hard hands, again, coarsen the type and emphasize its bad qualities. This over-energy will cause him to push his already unpleasant views to excess; the stubborn brain will oppose progress and invention, and will clamor for a return of the "good old days." This fellow is the chronic opposer of everything. No matter what it is, he is against it.
He will be stingy, narrow, ignorant, and superstitious.
The color of the hand is of much importance. Yellow is expected, for there is an excess of bile. The yellower the hand the "yellower" the point of view of the subject. Gloom, melancholy, distorted views, rancor, irritability, intense nervousness, and even criminality will be found if yellow color is pronounced. White color is often found. This makes a subject cold, repellent, and unattractive. He will strongly incline to fly from the society of his fellows, will be shunned wherever he goes, and being sensitive, this will add to his hatred of men, while his cutting remarks will make him more disagreeable. He cannot succeed in anything where he must come in contact with the public. A cold Saturnian is a picture of misery, and this subject is likely to be bad. Pink color will show a better state of health and a more cheerful and better Saturnian. To him all things will not be hopeless. The bright vivacity of pink color will lift and lighten the veil of gloom with which the Saturnian is enveloped, and there will be no such chance for a malevolent creature as with yellow or white color. Red is also good. It shows the increased ardor peculiar to the color, also indicating better health and strength, which reduces the gloom and brightens the subject.
 
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