In man, hair is commonly present on all the basal segments of the digits and invariably absent from all the terminal ones. On the middle segments, there is wide fluctuation with apparent familial and racial tendencies. Hair is ... In man, hair is commonly present on all the basal segments of the digits and invariably absent from all the terminal ones. On the middle segments, there is wide fluctuation with apparent familial and racial tendencies. Hair is present on the middle segment of the fingers more frequently than on the middle segment of the toes. Hair is most often found on the middle segment of the fourth finger (summary by Danforth, 1921). Egesi and Rashid (2010) reviewed the subject of middigital hair.
Danforth (1921) reported that middigital hair was present in men more often than in women. Caucasians were found to have a higher incidence of middle phalangeal hair than other ethnic groups, including African Americans, American Indians, and Japanese. ... Danforth (1921) reported that middigital hair was present in men more often than in women. Caucasians were found to have a higher incidence of middle phalangeal hair than other ethnic groups, including African Americans, American Indians, and Japanese. Saldanha and Guinsburg (1961) studied the presence or absence of middigital hair in a white population of Sao Paulo, Brazil, including 131 males and 158 females, and compared their findings with those of previous reports. The frequencies of individuals without midphalangeal hair showed striking population differences. The range among northern Europeans varied from 20 to 30%, and among Mediterraneans, from 30 to 50%. Among Japanese, American Indians, and blacks, the figures varied between about 60% and 90%. The trait was virtually absent among Eskimos.