412 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM [1885. 



DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES, PLATE XXII. 



Fig. I. Inca skull from Chaclacayo, Peru. Tlio specimeu is so tleformed as to 

 admit of uo delicate uieasurements, neither could the capacity be obtained. In addi- 

 tion to the usual defornuition ])roduced by bandaging, the occipital region is slightly 

 bent to the left, and the nasal spine so completely warped toward the left as to be 

 seen entirely in front of the orilice on that side. Length, 6.8 inches ; width, 5.3 

 inches ; bizygomatic width, 5.35 inches. 



Figs. 2 and 3. Plan of cuttings on the cranium, a a', a gash 3 inches long, oblique to 

 the antero-posterior verticol plane of the skull, and dividing the exsection into two 

 unequal parts, the greater on the left side. It is hard to divine why this cut was 

 made. It is not connected with the removal, for the curved cut e e' severs it above, 

 while there is not the faintest trace of it below the surface in the cut b V below. Its 

 lower extremity is merely a scratch on the surface of the bone, b b', a tolerably 

 straight and eftective cut obliquely across the lower right corner, looking with the 

 skull. It is deep above, slight below, and penetrates the bone, except in a small 

 space in the middle, where the inner table was fractured to remove the piece. (Seen 

 better in Fig. 3.) By layiuga straight edge in the cut, its lower margin reaches quite 

 through, except in the short space just mentioned, c c', a straight cut obliiiuely 

 across the upper right-hand corner, shallow and barely perforating the upper table. 

 The inner table has been violently broken by a series of irregular scallops, seen 

 better in Fig. 3. d d', a short furrow directly across the bottom or front of the cavity ; 

 upon the right its termination is very plainly marked, while its other extremity is 

 scarcely visible. This cutting extends to the inner table, which shows signs of break • 

 ing, especially the upper portion of the ethmoid, (fc. Figs. 2 and 3). A marked dif- 

 ference exists between this cut and some others, b b' for instance. The latter resem- 

 bles the furrow of a straight-edged saw, the former, d d', that of a stationary circular 

 saw. The furrow is much deeper in the middle, e e', this furrow should be carefully 

 noticed. It commences in the upper right-hand corner, penetrates to the interior of 

 the skull for half an inch, crosses a a', and sweeps around by a curve toward the left. 

 At this extremity it has three or four ends, and after crossing a a' the cutting was use- 

 less. The surgeon must have used the frontal bone as a center, and his hand as a 

 radius, to give a circular motion to his implement. The outer' side of this cut pre- 

 sents several ragged places, showing where the tool ran out. //', a straight, deeji, 

 and short furrow on the left side. At its lower extremity it is very plain, and its 

 progress upward can be marked to /. Where it pierces the cranium it crosses two 

 other furrows, e e' and A h! . The space from its upper extremity to the crossing of a a', 

 marked I in Fig. 3, has been broken off violently, g, this short, shallow furrow, be- 

 tween ee' and I, seems to have had no motive, and it may have been simply a running 

 out of the implement in making the curved furrow e e'. h h', this furrow is at the 

 lower left-hand corner of the opening. Its terminations on the outer table are quite 

 obscure, but it is the cleanest cut of all, penetrating through the cranium along its 

 whole extent. 



Thus, by a series of saw-cuts and breaks, this mass of bone, which by courtesy we 

 may call a rondelle-, was removed. It can hardly be said to throw light upon the 

 problem, for it has introduced a complication of surgery quite unknown hitherto. I 

 may be allowed to venture a guess that the somewhat quadrangular pieces which 

 would result from the two operations, bounded by the cross line a a', were wrought 

 into some useful thing, like the point of an arrow or spear. Instances are not want- 

 ing among peoples of low civilization where human bones have been considered to 

 have great potency. 



