ANATOMICAL NOTES AND QUEEIES. 

 Series II. 



1. Perforate Humeri in Ancient Egyptian Skeletons. — In 

 sorting out our Cambridge collection of Egyptian hones I have noted 

 the frequency of supra-articular perforation of the humerus, especially 

 in the bones from Libyan graves. I did not begin to count the 

 number of examples until more than three-fourths of the series had 

 been put away in store-cases, but out of the last twenty boxes opened 

 I found that out of 682 humeri, 390 were perforate and 292 imper- 

 forate. The percentage of perforation is therefore 57*2. 



This exceeds anything hitherto published. Of ancient North 

 Americans the percentage of perforate bones out of 300 specimens is 

 40 per cent. In one collection from the Gila Valley, in Arizona, 48 

 perforate bones were found out of 89, a percentage of 53'9; but this 

 is exceptionally high, and the number of bones is not large. In our 

 Cambridge Collection, when I began to count I found out of the first 

 115 bones that 65 were perforated ; so, had I none but this series, the 

 percentage would have come out 56-5. 



The Libyans may therefore, I think, claim to hold the record. In 

 our dissecting-room there were three instances out of the last hundred 

 bodies examined. (Statistics regarding its frequency will be found 

 in INIessrs Matthews and I^amb's article on the subject. Mem. Amer. 

 National Acad. Sci., vi. 217.) 



The authors just quoted are most probably correct in considering 

 this as an acquired character. The youngest specimen obtained was 

 in a humerus of a child probably six years old. I have not seen any 

 genuine approach to this condition among 100 foetal humeri examined 

 for the purpose. As far as I know, it has never been found in a 

 icetal bone. 



It is a perforation of the shaft well above the epiphysial junction 

 line. The distal extremity of the diaphysis thickens below the hole 

 down to the place where the epiphysis is set upon it. 



It is always in the intra-articular part of the olecranon fossa, below 

 the line of reflexion of the synovial membrane that crosses the middle 

 of the fossa. It is therefore quite distinct from the vascular holes 

 with which Topinard associates it, as these are always extra-articular 

 [the nutrient vessels are chiefly derived from the inferior profunda]. 



Of these perforate humeri 172 were right and 218 were left. As 

 far as could be determined from size, shape, and from the accompany- 

 ing pelvic bones, 192 were male and 198 were female. There is thus 

 the same preponderance of left and female over right and male bones, 



