Greasing Doctor’s Palms

Among people earnestly devoted to palmistry (the foretelling of the future by “expert” examination of the hand’s inner surface), a few in Japan have resorted to what seems like cheating: altering their palm lines with cosmetic surgery. According to a July Daily Beast dispatch from Tokyo, Takaaki Matsuoka is a leading practitioner, preferring an electric scalpel over laser surgery; the latter more often eventually heals over, obviously defeating the purpose. He must be careful to add or move only the lines requested by the patient (e.g., lines of “marriage,” “romance,” “money-luck” and “financial” success).