SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OP ABERDEEN. 



221 



There was, however, in all this one fatal omission, namely, a 

 total neglect of the functional meaning of each part of the ear ; in my 

 opinion it is this neglect of function that renders so profitless much of 

 the anthropological work of the present day. It is only now when I 

 return to my accumulated records, which have been cast aside for 

 some years, that I see that much of my 

 labour has been in vain because I did 

 not, nor do I yet, know the meaning of 

 the structures which I had attempted to 

 study. One of my reasons for bringing 

 this paper before you is that it may save 

 some from making the mistakes which I 

 have made. 



After some preliminary work in the 

 streets of Leipzig the points on which I 

 determined to make observations were 

 the following they are shown diagram - 

 matically in Fig. 1 : These were, first, the 



degree of infolding of the posterior bor- 

 der of the helix, from the situation of 



the auricular point above to the lobe of 



the ear below. The posterior border 



may show no trace of infolding, or it 



may be turned into an extreme degree 



of 10 mm. (see Figs. 1 and 2). The 



degree of infolding was divided into four 



stages, represented by 1, 2, 3, <i (1 = no 



infolding, "2 = infolding to an extent of 3 



mm. or less, 3 = infolding to an extent between 3-6 mm., and 4 = 



more than 6 mm.). 



The condition of the auricular tip was noted, but only those cases 



in which there could be no doubt of its presence. Three conditions 



were noted : (1) where the tip formed a deduct triangular projection, 



whether it projected backwards or was inrolled with the posterior 



Fig. 1 



Diagram to explain the 

 method used in making observa- 

 tions on the ear. A, root of helix ; 

 B, ascending helix ; C, horizontal 

 helix; D, descending helix; 1, 2, 

 3, 4, showing the four degrees into 

 which the infolding of the helix was 

 divided ; E, anthelix ; F, antitra- 

 gus; 1, 2, 3, 4, the four degrees of 

 classification ; G, tragus ; 1, 2, 3, 4, 

 the four degrees of classification ; 

 H , lobule ; 1 , 2, 3, 4, the four degrees 

 of classification ; I, the auricular 

 point (Darwin's point). 



