170 SKELETON. 



vertical suture, which unites the bones of the opposite sides of 

 the face. 



In the infant, the frontal protuberances are always well 

 marked, from their being the centres of ossification for the two 

 halves of the os frontis ; in the adult, they are frequently not 

 raised above the common level of the bone. The superciliary 

 protuberances just above the internal half of the orbitary or su- 

 perciliary ridges, are generally somewhat prominent, but they 

 vary very much in this respect in different individuals. Between 

 these ridges the frontal bone is sometimes raised into a vertical 

 elevation, continuous with the dorsum of the nose, as is more 

 frequently seen in young persons. 



The nose, or pyramidal convexity, formed by the nasal pro- 

 cesses of the superior maxillary, and by the nasal bones, is con- 

 cave above, and extremely prominent below. The prominence 

 of it depends upon the development of the ossa nasi. I have 

 frequently seen the latter curtailed to about one-half, and even 

 one-third of their usual breadth, and also diminished in length; 

 which is followed by an unusual flatness of the nose : the pecu- 

 liarity had been presented to me till lately only in negroes; but, 

 since then, I have also met with it in the skulls of white sub- 

 jects: it is., however, much more uncommon in the latter. The 

 anterior orifice of the nose is cordiform, the base being below: 

 the centre of the base is marked by a rough point, called the 

 anterior nasal spine. 



The cheek bones form, on either side of the face, a conside- 

 rable prominence, depending much upon the length of the ma- 

 lar process of the upper maxillary bones. In savage tribes, this 

 prominence is frequently a characteristic trait, and may depend 

 upon the greater development of the upper maxillary sinuses, 

 probably from the more frequent or more intense employment 

 of the organ of smelling. The elevation of the cheek bone is 

 always conspicuous in emaciated subjects, from the fat around 

 its base being absorbed. 



The alveolar processes with the teeth produce, in certain sub- 

 jects, a very conspicuous projection in the face ; varying, how- 

 ever, considerably in different individuals, and in different tribes 

 of human beings. There is but little doubt of the organization 

 of some men being more coarse and animal than that of others, 



