408 ANNUAL EEPOET SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1933 



My own interest in the measurement began almost with the com- 

 mencement of my anthropometric work, in the middle nineties of 

 the last century. Feeling the value of this determination I en- 

 deavored so to regulate the landmarks that they could always be 

 followed with the least possible difficulty. The precision of the 

 upper landmark was fairly easy. It was seen that in the majority 

 of people the hair line over the forehead formed a fair arch on 

 which it was easy to mark the point needed and which corresponded 

 to the meeting of this arch and the central vertical line of the front. 

 In numerous individuals, however, particularly males, the hair in 

 the median line extends more or less downward in the form of an 

 angle; where this exists it is disregarded, the hair arch being com- 

 pleted above it and the median point marked on it as usual. As to 

 the lower landmark, I tried simultaneously both the interbrow point 

 and nasion, which led to the final adoption of the nasion. Here a 

 considerable uncertainty was met with and had to be overcome. 

 There are many living of both sexes in whom the nasion can be 

 detected certainly neither by sight nor by touch. The only way to 

 determine its location with sufficient accuracy was found to be a 

 thorough acquaintance with it in skulls, and through extended direct 

 comparison of the skulls with the living. In that manner alone can 

 proficiency be gained and a generally reliable measurement be as- 

 sured. Even then there will doubtless be occasional errors, but 

 these will not be large and will tend to comx3ensate each other in the 

 larger series. 



It was on this basis that measurements of the height of the fore- 

 head have been carried on in all my anthropometric work since 1898. 

 The procedure was and is to determine carefully and mark the hair- 

 line point as well as the nasion, and then to measure with the head 

 calipers from the lowest point of the chin the two heights of the 

 face (menton-nasion, menton-crinion) ; the difference between these 

 gives the height of the forehead. When the observer is well expe- 

 rienced, after years of effort, he may do away with the marking, 

 but this is safer and to those with less experience indispensable. 

 Under such conditions the results of the measurements on adequate 

 series of subjects are quite reliable. 



My accumulated data on height of forehead extend now to many 

 groups of the Indians, to some Egyptians,* to old American and a 

 number of groups of the Old World whites,^ some Negroes ^ and the 

 Alaskan Eskimo.'^ The most recent series of whites is a highly inter- 

 esting and representative group of prominent brain workers, mem- 



* The natives of Kharga Oasis, Egypt. Smithsonian Misc. Coll., vol. 59, 1912. 



s The Old Americans. Baltimore, 1925. 



» The full-blood American Negro. Amer. Journ. Phys. Anthrop., vol. 12, pp. 15-33, 1928. 



^ Unpublished. 



