SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OP ABERDEEN. 203 



8. DEFORMATION OF SKULLS. 



(a) Artificial. Skulls deformed in this manner are found in 

 considerable numbers in any large collection of crania, the deforma- 

 tion being produced by bandages or other appliances which are made 

 use of to compress or mould the growing head into the particular 

 form desired. This practice was common among the American 

 Indians, but has been in vogue at one time or another in various 

 countries. It does not appear to have injuriously affected the mental 

 character of the individuals to any very great extent. 



(b) Pathological Deformation. The form and size of the skull is 

 affected by various diseases, of which I shall mention specially 

 hydrocephalus, rickets, cretinism, achondroplasia and acromegaly. I 

 should also mention here the case described by Virchow, which I 

 have already alluded to, in which congenital hemiplegia of one side 

 was associated with atrophy of the opposite cerebral hemisphere and 

 diminution of the corresponding half of the cranium. 



Platybasic deformation, described by Barnard Davis, may be in- 

 cluded also in this group. It consists of a flattening at the base of 

 the skull, which appears to rise up into the cavity of the cranium, the 

 condition being probably due to a pathological softening of the bones. 



(c) Posthumous Deformation. - - This is distortion of the skull 

 which is sometimes observed in crania which have been long buried in 

 moist earth and at the same time subjected to pressure. It occurs in 

 various directions and is unaccompanied by any abnormality of the 

 sutures. 



Now, a consideration of the physiological variations of the skull, 

 which I have alluded to in this paper, would be incomplete without 

 some mention of the relations that the head and brain bear to the 

 body generally. Although there are some exceptions, my own ex- 

 perience and that of my fellow-workers has been that success from 

 the purely intellectual standpoint is very closely related to the general 

 wellbeing or physical fitness of the body. The students, which are 

 grouped in Class A, are more athletic and more robust than those in 



