Hrdlicka. 31 



The proportion of disorders of the heart in the asylum children, 

 as expressed by the above figures, cannot be considered unusual. 



Left-Handedness. 



In addition to the preceding examinations an effort was made 

 to ascertain the number of left-handed individuals among the chil- 

 dren. There is no particular significance in the simple fact that a 

 person is left-handed, or at least we know as yet positively of no 

 such significance, and the investigations as to this point have up to 

 now been largely only statistical. 



Among the 1,000 inmates' of the asylum there were 6 left-handed 

 boys and 4 left-handed girls. In some of these subjects the left- 

 handedness probably is more apparent than real as, in 2 of the 

 boys and 3 of the girls, notwithstanding the left-handedness, the 

 right arm was found to be the stronger. 



Measurements of the Children. 



The measurements of the children differ largely according to 

 age and hence they cannot be treated of fully before we approach 

 the second part of the report. The only facts which I can bring 

 forth advantageously in this place are a few notes on the shapes of 

 the heads, in several of the larger groups of children of different 

 nationalities. I will introduce these variations in the form of curves 

 which will show the various percentages of the different shapes of 

 heads in the different groups, but before I will give the curves. 

 I think it advisable to say a few words of explanation on the subject. 



It has been found after extensive studies, mainly in France, Eng- 

 land and Germany, that the shape of the head differs quite remark- 

 ably, not only between people of different color, but also among fam- 

 ilies of the white race, and that these differences within certain limits 

 are quite stable with each such family. The shape of the head is 

 ■determined principally by three measurements, namely the maximum 

 length, the maximum width and the height of the cranium. The 

 percentage derived by dividing the width by the length of the head 

 gives us what we call the cephalic index, which is a true expression 

 of the shape of the horizontal plane of the head. The lower the 

 figure of this cephalic index the more the skull approaches the 



