250 THE NATURAL HISTOBY EEYIEW. 



the opportunity of examining ; classed as accurately as may be, 

 under the three heads of, I. Scaphocephali ; II. Sub-scapho- 

 CEPHALi ; and III. Klinocephali. 



As is well known, the African peoples are naturally dolichocepha- 

 lic. In them also the bones are of remarkable density, and a great 

 disposition to exuberant and redundant ossification is observed in 

 them. Of all peoples, I believe abnormal obliteration of the sagittal 

 suture with complete synostosis of the parietals is most frequent 

 among them. Out of twenty-four cases of complete synostosis of 

 the parietals, which I had measured when this paper was read, seven 

 are instances of scaphocephalus ; but in the others the cranial form, 

 though elongate, does not present that flattening of the sides, pro- 

 minence of the frontal and of the supra-occipital, or that fully sca- 

 phoid or keel-shaped form of the biparietal, which are necessary to 

 the idea of scaphocephalus properly so called ; diiferent degrees of 

 which however are to be observed. Of the whole number of twenty- 

 four skulls, as many as twelve are of Africans ; one of these, that of 

 a negro of Mozambique, being truely scaphocephalies The frequency 



* Of the twenty-four skulls here referred to, twelve are in the Museum of the 

 Royal College of Surgeons, London ; two hi that of Guy's Hospital ; four at Ox- 

 ford ; three at Netley ; one at Haslar ; one at Bristol ; and one at Salisbury. I 

 have not altered these numbers, nor the passage in the text with which they are 

 connected. Since the paper was read, however, 1 have added to the Table of 

 Measurements of Skulls with Synostotic Parietals, many farther examples. Espe- 

 cially, must be noticed those in the rich collection of Dr. J. B. Davis, who has 

 obliged me with access to their measurements in his Catalogue, as yet in manu- 

 script. It appeared also expedient to embrace in the table, measurements of the 

 six scaphocephalic skulls given by Professor Welcker in his latest memoir on this 

 subject {Zn-ei seltn. Dijform.^ ; and likewise those of others given by Dr. W. Tur- 

 ner in his paper already referred to ; the former being from the museums of Ger- 

 many, the latter from those of Edinburgh. Dr. Turner has obliged me with some 

 additional measurements ; and I am also indebted to Dr. H. Minchin, of Dublin, 

 for measurements of the two skulls described by him in the memoir by which in 

 this country attention was first drawn to this kind of cranial malformation. With 

 a few exceptions, for which I am indebted to friends, the rest of the measurements 

 are by myself. 



In the division II. Sub-Scaphocephalt, a few of the skulls are not strictly 

 entitled to this designation. In these, the relative length is simply more or less 

 increased, and no distinctly scaphoid tendency is seen. These synosfoHo doliclioce- 

 phali pass by such hisensible gradations into the subscaphoid form, that unless the 

 whole could have been brought together for minute comparison, their separation 

 into two sub-classes could not have been satisfactorily carried out. 



To some extent, though with no certainty or precision, the table may indicate 

 the liabiUty of different races to this form of synostosis. The cases in Europeans 

 have no doubt been selected for preservation, in consequence of their abnormal 

 form ; but as regards those of other races there has probably been little or no 

 selection. 



