124 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



Malformation of the skull appears occasionally dependent also, 

 upon Cretinism, which is usually preceded by degeneration of the 

 thyroid gland — goitre. This has been particularly noticed in the 

 more elevated regions of Europe and Asia.* Hereditary syphilis 

 is also claimed to have pioduced similar results, as M. Parrot found 

 the remains of this disease upon crania of the ancient races of Peru 

 and Bogota, which, he avers, caused the deformation. f Quatrefa- 

 ges cites Jourdanet's work as referring to the existence of syphilis 

 in Mexico ]M-e\ ious to the Conquest, a,nd it is found by comparing 

 the ancient Mexican sculptures, that cranial deformation existed, 

 but this was produced artificially as a mark of distinction, as among 

 the Central Americans. The Aztecs, however, are not known to 

 have practiced this custom ; though if they did, the practice had 

 limited adoption. 



A curious statement is made by Sir Robert Schomburgh, of In- 

 dians which he found on the Orinoco whose heads were flattened 

 by nature. He saw a child one hour after its birth which showed 

 all the characteristics of the tribe, " and the flatness of its head, as 

 compared with the heads of the other tribes, was remarkable."^ 



The most prominent of our native tribes as having practiced 

 head-flattening are the Flathead Indians of the northwest,| though 

 Di. Suckley states that they do not practice this custom (1855). 

 The Natchez, Choctaws, and in fact nearly all of the tribes within 

 the borders of the United States, at one time practiced this custom 

 to a limited extent, if all the literature is to be relied upon. ' It is 

 more probable, however, that the frequent discovery of crania, de- 

 formed unintentionally by means of the ])rimitive cradle board, has 

 given rise to these statements regarding many of the Indian tribes. 



In the following table, representing measurements of some? of the 

 crania from the region under consideration, metrical measurements 

 are employed, as most convenient for the greater number of ethnol- 



*See Ermines' Travels in Siberia, 1848, ii, p. 330; Saussure, Voyage dans 

 les Alpes, 1786, iv; Ackermann. Ueber die Cretineu. Gotha, 1790; FoderC', 

 Traits du Goitre et du cr^tinisme, a Paris, an vii. 



f Les deformations craniennes caus6es par la Syphilis li^r<5ditaire. < As- 

 .sociation Franyaise pour I'avancement des Science. Compt. Rendus de la 

 6e Session. (Le Havre, 1877). 1878, pp. 665-674. 



X Jour. Royal Geograph. Soc. xv, p. 53, 54. 



II Ue])er Abplattung des Schadels bei Amerik. Indianern. < Froriep's 

 Notiz. 1841, Bd. 19, p. 40. Ueber die Indianer aus Columbiaflusse. 

 < Ibid. 1843, Bd. xxv, 2 ill. 



