198 



MEMOIRS OP THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



As it is not reasonable in the present state of our knowledge to regard nasal synostosis as 

 possible in children, we disregard four of their skulls, not letting them affect the figures either 

 way. 



It is to be noted that there is a partial synostosis in H. 17, a young skull with the basilar 

 suture open and third molars uncut. This is the skull which is so very notable for showing utter 

 disappearance of the sagittal suture. 



$ 25. THE PALATE. 



While we have taken four measurements of the palate and one palato alveolar measurement 

 we have computed only one index, that of Virchow, which depends on the palatal length, from 

 the inner alveolar border between the incisors to the point of the posterior nasal spine, and on 

 the palatal width, taken at the level of the second molars. This we find to be essentially a 

 maximum width, and we prefer in this case the directions of the Frankfurt agreement to those of 

 Topinard as being the more exact. The index is computed by multiplying the width by 100 and 

 dividing the product by the length. 



In 32 skulls whose palatine indices we have been able to compute (Tables XLVIII, xux) the 

 minimum index is 62.74 which indicates a very long palate the maximum 84.61, and the average 

 72.94. Only 3 indices exceed 80, and, therefore, 29 out of 32 are leptostaphyliu or long-palate. 

 As none reach the figure 85 the remaining 3 are mesostaphylin or median-palate, while none are 

 brachystaphyliu or short-palate. 



This series may be said to throw no light on the question of the relationship between the 

 palatine and cephalic indices. It has been shown that in some races a long palate goes with a 

 long skull. In the Saladoans we have a long palate associated with a short skull; but if we 

 admit that the skulls are shortened by artificial means applied to the brain-case, only, we must 

 consider even this negative evidence worthless. 



With regard to a correspondence between the face and the palate our series offers better 

 testimony. All the faces, as expressed by their indices, are long; so also are all the palates. 



Not only is there this general agreement, but there is to a certain extent an individual agree- 

 ment in this respect. In order to elucidate this point we have prepared a table (O) given below, 

 in which we have selected for comparison with the palatine index the upper facial index of Virchow 

 for the reason that its table gives a larger number of examples than that of any other facial index. 



In columns 1 and 4 of Table O, the number of the skulls are arranged according to the 

 ordination of the facial index but inversely, i. e., the skull having the longest face comes first, and 

 that having the shortest comes last. In columns 3 and we give the order in which each skull 

 would come if arranged according to the length of the palate, for instance: Skull H. 27 has the 

 second longest face and the longest palate, while skull H. 19 has the seventh longest face and tke 

 shortest palate. 



TABLE O. Relation of palatine index to upper facial index of Virchow. 



In a glance at the above table it will be seen that the longer palates, whose relative position 

 is expi-f-ssed by one figure, belong mostly to the first half of the series of 22, while those having 

 the shorter palates belong to the second half of the series. The sums of columns 3 and (i show 



