Some flowers are bruised that they may be more sweet,
And some lie broken ’neath the rush of feet;
And some are worn awhile, then tossed aside;
Some grace the dead, while others deck the bride.
And so in life I’ve seen the saddest face,
The broken flower, give forth the sweetest grace.
Cheiro.
There has been considerable discussion among writers as to the point where this line rises. My theory, and one which I have proved by watching the growth of this line on the hands of children and young people, is that it rises at the base, or on the face of the Mount of Mercury, and as it grows down the hand and into the line of life, so does it foreshadow the growth of the illness or germ of disease which at the time of its coming in contact with the line of life will reach its climax. I wish to call special attention to this point; also to another, namely, that the line of life merely relates to the length of life from natural causes, but if the hepatica is as strongly marked as the line of life itself, their meeting at any point will be the point of death. Also, no matter how long the life-line may seem to be, any abnormal development of the line of health will cause the death of the subject.
The hepatica (Plate XIII.) should lie straight down the hand—the straighter the better.
It is an excellent sign to be without this line. Such absence denotes an extremely robust, healthy constitution. Its presence on the hand in any form indicates some delicate point to be guarded against.
When crossing the hand and touching the line of life at any point, it tells that there is some delicacy at work, undermining the health and constitution. (k-k, Plate XVII.)
When rising from the line of heart at the Mount of Mercury and running into or through the line of life, it foretells some weakness and disease of the heart. If very pale in color, and broad, it will be weak action of the heart and bad circulation.
If red in color, particularly when it leaves the line of heart, with small, flat nails, the trouble will be active heart-disease.
When very red in small spots, it denotes a tendency in the system toward fever.
When twisted and irregular, biliousness and liver complaints.
When formed in little straight pieces, bad digestion (i-i, Plate XIX.).
In little islands, with long, filbert nails, danger to lungs and chest (i-i, Plate XX.).
The same mark, with the same kind of nail, but broad, throat trouble. (See “Nails,” Part I., Chapter XIII.)
When heavily marked, joining the lines of heart and head, and not found elsewhere, it threatens brain-fever.
A straight line of hepatica lying down the hand may not give robust health, but it is a good mark because it gives a more wiry kind of health than one crossing the hand.
It will thus be seen that though the student can depend very largely upon the indications afforded him by the hepatica, yet he must look for other illnesses, and for confirmation of illnesses, to other portions of the hand, as, for instance, to the chained life-line for naturally delicate health, to the line of head for brain troubles, and to the nails, which must always be noted in conjunction with the study of the hepatica.