Hair distribution on the phalanges of the hands in Malays

618 Malay subjects were selected randomly to find out the frequency and patterns of hair distribution on the phalanges of their hands. Hair on the proximal phalanx was absent in 2% of the males and in 3.3% of the females. The middle phalangeal hair (MPH) was absent in 78% of the females and in 64.9% of the males. The frequency in order of MPH was found to be 4 > 3 > 5 > 2. Fifteen patterns of hair distribution on the phalanges of the hand were found. Such a large number of patterns has not been reported yet. No subject had hair on the distal phalanges. These observations when compared with earlier studies show that the Malays are similar to other Asiatic populations such as the Japanese and Nepalis.