Goldsmith: The Cathn Mark 



71 



THE "MARK" IN CHILDHOOD 



Like the normal opening that occurs in the 

 skull in infancy, and closes by the end of the 

 first year, this opening grows smaller, and in 

 some cases closes entirely with age. Frequently 

 it appears as a single large hole, or with a very 

 slight suggestion of a median bridge, as in this 

 case. (Fig. 14.) 



was normal in this regard when an 

 examination revealed a slight abnormal 

 concavity in the skull where the open- 

 ings were expected. In this case the 

 X-Ray would not show the defect, but 

 the boy was recorded as having an 

 abnormal skull. Unquestionably many 

 of the individuals who are shown in 

 the chart as normal, possessed the 

 defect in foetal or embryonic condition. 

 The "Catlin Mark" does not seem to 

 be a serious handicap to its possessor. 

 After considering the individual cases 

 it was readily seen that no relation 

 existed between the defect and men- 

 tality. The family as a whole would 

 be classed as "average." One boy who 

 had no signs of the mark is retarded 

 in the grades while another child who 

 has unusually large openings in the 



skull is quite successful in school work. 

 Those who have the defect claim that 

 any stroke on that part of the head 

 causes unusual pains and headaches. 

 The young ladies say that in case the 

 hair is dressed a certain way a pressure 

 is exerted and violent headaches result. 

 To this extent, only, is the defect an 

 inconvenience to an otherwise normal 

 individual. However, the family physi- 

 cian claims that a child with an extreme 

 "Catlin Mark" is more liable to injury 

 at birth than a normal child. 



A SINGLE LARGE "MARK" 



Later in life this hole will partly close, and be 

 divided into two smaller ones by the formation 

 of a median septum. In view of the existence 

 of such natural defects, one is led to wonder 

 whether some cases of trephining reported by 

 archeologists may not be due to such a defect 

 as this. Primitive man undoubtedly did per- 

 form operations on the skull, but in some of 

 the examples found the holes are remarkably 

 smooth, suggesting an origin similar to the 

 above. (Fig. 15.) 



The Undeveloped Mind 



The Psychology of Childhood, by 

 Naomi Norsworthy, Ph.D., formerly 

 associate professor of educational 

 psychology, Teachers' College, Col- 

 lumbia University, and Mary Theo- 

 dora Whitley, Ph.D., assistant pro- 

 fessor of education in the same 

 college. Pp. 375. Brief Course 

 series in Education, New York, The 

 Macmillan Co., 1920. 

 This textbook for normal schools 

 covers in a rather complete way the 

 original nature of the child, with refer- 



ence to methods for educating or 

 modifying it. Particular pains are 

 taken to attach the proper importance 

 to heredity — in this respect the book is 

 a model of its kind, even though the 

 discussion of the theoretical phases of 

 genetics is hardly up to date. In gen- 

 eral, the volume presents the point of 

 view associated in psychology with the 

 name of E. L. Thorndike. While in- 

 tended primarily for embryonic teachers 

 it should be of interest and value to 

 well-educated parents also. — P. P. 



