14 CHARLES R. STOCKARD 



midgets or ateliotic dwarfs exhibit normal proportions of 

 head, body and extremities in greatly reduced dimensions, 

 but are gracefully formed tiny persons weighing in extreme 

 cases less than 10 kilograms. Among the dogs this type is 

 well known and perfectly illustrated by the tiny Chihuahua, 

 the toy Pomeranians and, still more perfectly for normal 

 proportions, by the diminutive toy pinchers. These little 

 dogs are gracefully formed, with head, body and legs in fairly 

 standard relations ; they are miniatures of the ordinary shep- 

 herd or hound dog. The prize specimens among toy dogs 

 may weigh less than 1 kilogram. 



The other sub-normal sized type among humans is the 

 so-called stocky dwarf, or achondroplasic individual. Such 

 persons may have a full sized head and trunk accompanied 

 by abnormally short extremities and are consequently low of 

 stature to varying degrees. Not only are the long bones of 

 the arms and legs abbreviated, but the base of the cranium 

 is disproportionately short so that the face is flattened and 

 depressed at the nasion, and the forehead, as a consequence, 

 prominently rounded. The epiphyseal cartilages in the ex- 

 tremities and the basicranial cartilage in the head are de- 

 ficient, with more or less connective tissue hyperplasia, and 

 fail to give the usual amount of growth for the production 

 of normal bone length. In the achondroplasic dwarf dog, 

 therefore, the face or muzzle is short and flattened due to 

 arrest of the cartilage growth in the basicranium, and the 

 fore and hind limbs are short and twisted in shape through 

 the growth deformity of their long bones. The French bull- 

 dog shows this condition to a high degree, while the Asiatic 

 Pekingese dog is a perfect example. Fully expressed cases 

 of human achondroplasic dwarfism are seen as rare members 

 of the population in almost all communities of the world. 

 Aside from the fully typical condition, every degree of varia- 

 tion in achondroplasic growth is met among human beings, 

 and slight expressions in this direction give very sturdy 

 persons with a determined demeanor. 



