THE BNTIEE SKULL 511 



outward as well as forward ; they communicate freely with the tem- 

 poral and zygomatic fossa?. 



The anterior aspect of the human skull should now be examined 

 in detail. 



Its outline is formed by the frontal above and the parietals, tem- 

 porals, and malars at the sides. On the forehead are the frontal 

 eminences and superciliary ridges, on the median line above the naso- 

 frontal suture is the flattened glabella. 1 The forehead is separated at 

 the sides from the temporal fossa? by the temporal ridges, which begin 

 at the frontal external angular processes. At the middle of the 

 shortest transverse line connecting the temporal ridges is the point 

 on the forehead known as the ophryon. 2 Each orbit is a pyramidal 

 cavity with a quadrilateral base, bounded by the frontal, maxillary, 

 and malar bones ; on the superior margin is the supraorbital notch. 

 The floor is formed by the orbital plates of the maxillary and pala- 

 tine bones ; the outer wall by the malar and the orbital surface of 

 the great wing of the sphenoid; the roof by the orbital plate of 

 the frontal and the orbital surface of the small wing of the sphe- 

 noid ; the inner wall by the maxillary, the lachrymal, the os planum 

 of the ethmoid, and part of the body of the sphenoid. At the apex 

 of the orbit is the round optic foramen, lateral to which and partially 

 separating the roof from the outer wall is the elongated sphenoidal or 

 superior orbital fissure. Separating the floor from the outer wall is 

 the longer spheno-maxillary or inferior orbital fissure. At the junc- 

 tion of the roof and the inner wall are the two ethmoidal foramina ; 

 at the inner lower angle are the lachrymal groove and foramen. The 

 transverse suture joins the frontal to the malar, sphenoid, ethmoid, 

 lachrymal, and maxillary, and is continued medially above the nasal 

 bones ; the different parts of the transverse suture, therefore, are 

 known as the fronto-malar, fronto-sphenoidal, fronto-ethmoidal, fronto- 

 lachrymal, fronto-maxillary, and naso-frontal sutures ; on the inner 

 wall are the maxillo-lachrymal, ethmo-lachrymal, spheno-ethmoidal, 

 and spheno-palatine sutures. On the floor at the inner side are the 

 maxillo-lachrymal, maxillo-ethmoidal, ethmo-palatine, and maxillo- 

 palatine sutures ; at the outer side is the malo-maxillary suture. On 

 the outer wall is the spheno-malar suture. 



On each side of the face under the orbit is the infraorbital foramen, 



1 Diminutive of glaber, smooth. 2 From (Gr.) ophrus, eyebrow. 



