Decoding the Hand
A History of Science, Medicine, and Magic
The astonishing history of palmistry and biometrics – from occult physicians to the very foundations of modern science and medicine.
Why did Isaac Newton read books on chiromancy, the occult science of hand reading? Why did Charles Darwin claim that the hand gave humans dominion over all other species? Why did psychoanalyst Charlotte Wolff climb into the primate cages of London Zoo, taking hundreds of delicate palm prints? And why did world-leading geneticists study the geometry of palm lines in their search for the secrets of chromosomal syndromes?
Decoding the Hand reveals an astounding history of magic, medicine, and science, an enduring search for how our bodily surfaces might disclose an inner self—a soul, a character, an identity.
“Nothing is so secret in a human being that it does not have an outward sign.”
– Paracelsus, c. 1530
“Ingenious and fascinating, this is history at its best.”
– Janet Browne, Harvard University
“Compelling.”
– Simon Schaffer, University of Cambridge
An unexpected joy.”
David Stack, author of Queen Victoria’s Skull
University of Chicago Press
November 2025
Upcoming events
Decoding the Hand: A History of Science, Medicine and Magic is released on 5 November.
Join Alison as she discusses her new book: dates and further details