THE TIME AND LINEAGE FACTORS OF HANDWRITING
Clarence Quinan · Archives of Neurology And Psychiatry · 1931
If a sample of handwriting is analyzed solely from the dynamic point of view, one notes that two of the movements that produce it act horizontally the direction from left to right. One of these—that which forms the necessary characters—manifests itself as a lateral thrust along the base line of the text; the other gives rise to the lines known as t-crossings. Because of restrictions imposed by the highly conventionalized outlines of the individual letters, the first movement develops itself largely through curvilinear forms; figuratively speaking, it may be said to be produced by the hand-arm writing mechanism while that mechanism is in gear. The second movement expresses itself lines that for the most part run parallel with, and above, the text. This movement is not limited by conventional restrictions and may be said to represent a to-and-fro idling activity on the part of the writing mechanism. By