ON A NEW CRANIOPHORE FOR USE IN MAKING COMPOSITE 

 PHOTOGRAPHS OF SKULLS. 



READ NOYEMBER 12, 1885. 



By John S. Billings and Washington Matthews. 



At the meeting of the Academy in April, 1885, we described an extemporized contrivance for 

 taking composite photographs of skulls, and announced that the construction of a more convenient 

 apparatus was in contemplation. Such an apparatus has since been constructed under the direction 

 of Dr. Matthews, and has been employed by him in taking a number of composite photographs of 

 crania, specimens of which are herewith submitted. 



The apparatus itself — of which four photographs are presented — consists of an object-stand, 

 with four hinged frames, and a craniophore with two different attachments for holding the skull. 



The object-stand is of walnut, 3 feet and 5 inches high. The top is 18 inches square and 2 

 inches thick, with a hole in the center through which the main screw of the craniophore descends. 

 Frames bearing fine cross- wires are attached to the top by hinges in such a manner that they may 

 be raised and lowered. 



The craniophore is of brass It has a large screw to elevate and depress the skull. This screw 

 is worked by means of a long tubular nut fixed in a frame. The latter slides on two round bars, 

 and is moved by a smaller screw which works in nuts fixed to the bottom of the frame, and secures 

 thereby lateral adjustment. On the summit of the screw is a ball-and-socket joint. In the top of 

 the ball is a hole or well which receives the pin at the base of each attachment and thereby holds 

 the latter in place. 



One attachment is for supporting the skull, base downwards, when the facial, lateral, and 

 occipital views are taken. It has a cone which enters the foramen magnum, and a jointed arm 

 elongated telescopically, which supports the palate. 



The other attachment is for holding the skull when the basal and vertical views are taken. It 

 has two arms extending horizontally. On each of these there is a vertical bar, movable, in order 

 that skulls of different widths may be accommodated. On each vertical bar is a short, horizontal, 

 obtusely-pointed bar which tits into the auditory meatus and moves ireely on the vertical bar. 

 These movable parts are provided with binding-screws. The horizontal bars are attached to a 

 plate which slides on a frame; this arrangement secures thfe antero-posterior adjustment necessary 

 to insure coincidence of the selected horizontal plane with the lateral vertical wires. 



To operate : The skull is placed in the desired attachment; the latter is secured by the pin at 

 its base to the ball in the joint. The joint is tightened by its screw to such a degree that it will 

 move by gentle force, but not by the mere weight of the ill-poised skull. The frames are raised 

 and maintained in their upright position by hooks fastened into eyes on the top of the table. The 

 skull is adjusted on the four sets of cross-wires. Then the anterior frame and the lateral frame 

 next to the window are lowered ; a black velvet background is hung on the posterior frame, a 

 large white card-board is hung on the frame further from the window, the brass-work is occluded 

 with small velvet screens, and the picture is taken. When the work of the day is done, all the 

 frames are folded down, fastened by buttons to the legs of the table, to secure them from injury, 

 and the craniophore is covered. 



The craniophore was made by Mr. Edward Kiibel, 328 First street, N. E., Washington, and 



cost $55. The object-stand was made by the carpenter who works at the Museum. A coarser 



thread for the vertical screw of the craniophore is recommended, as facilitating adjustment. 



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