Palmistry and Biology

I happened to catch a programme on National Geographic yesterday, July 04, 2007, called “Twins, Triplets and Quads” where it was mentioned that in case there is a shortage of blood in the body of fetus, miracle of biology siphons the blood away from dermis to more important organs of body - e.g. brain. The body keeps a record of this miracle and the index finger of left arm can be used to determine how healthy the heart would be in later stages of life.

I did a bit of search on Google and found out that a research paper was presented by some Indian doctors, titled Utility Of Finger Prints in Myocardial Infarction Patients. This work is not new, this paper appeared in a journal in 2000 and refers to another paper which was written in 1975. I guess I was the one not looking.

Quoting from the abstract -

Dermatoglyphics has been well established as a diagnostic aid in a number of diseases having hereditary basis … It is deducted that patients of myocardial infarction have higher incidence of whorls & lower incidence of loops in all the digits.

Unless I am being completely unreasonable, does it not qualify as palmistry?