330 



PHYSIOLOGY 



CHAP. 



growing in ringlets accompanied by a more luxuriant beard 

 (euplocomi), such as is seen in Dravidians, Nubians, and the 

 peoples of the Mediterranean. 



Comparative study of the human skeleton, and more particu- 

 larly of those parts which are more highly developed in man, 

 i.e. the skull and facial bones, has brought to notice other 

 characteristics distinguishing the different races. Craniology has 

 undoubtedly been of great service to anthropologists ; we must not, 

 however, fall into the error of certain scientists in times past, and 

 regard it as the basis upon which anthropology rests. We will 

 not enter minutely into this subject, which is the province of 



FIG. 130. A, Brachycephalic skull ; B, dolichocephalic skull. 



works devoted entirely to it, but will confine ourselves to the more 

 important facts brought to light by craniological research. We 

 first note the difference in the shape of the skull. The two 

 extremes are known as dolichocephalic (long-headed people) and 

 brachycephalic (short-headed people). In the former case the 

 skull seen from above is elliptic in shape, the greatest diameter 

 being from the forehead to the nape of the neck ; it therefore 

 appears lengthened from the front to the back and laterally com- 

 pressed. In the case of the brachycephalic on the contrary the 

 circumference of the skull tends to become spherical, being 

 relatively compressed from the front to the back and projecting 

 more towards the sides (Fig, 130). Between these two extreme 



