THE BONES 65 



The above are the usual figures for the upper molars in 

 man, but there are also races, who have not teeth of a uniform 

 size, in whom the second and third upper molars have three 

 cusps : e.g., the Eskimos and not seldom Americans who are 

 descended from European emigrants. The molars of the lowest 

 races of man (Malays, Australians and negroes) have the highest 

 number of cusps (4, 4, 4) and all these races have besides 

 unusually large teeth. The lower molars in man have normally 

 five, but sometimes six cusps and two roots. It not uncommonly 

 happens, however, that there are only four, three, or two cusps, 

 whereas in the anthropoids far less variation is to be observed. 

 The first and third molars have usually five cusps, but this is 

 subject to modification, especially in the third molar which in 

 most, though not in all, anthropoids is very large, larger indeed 

 than the first or second. 



Darwin l is of the opinion that the wisdom tooth is tending 

 to become rudimentary among the civilised races, and attributes 

 the fact to the preference for soft food, whereby the posterior 

 part of the alveolar arch has become reduced (Schaaffhausen). 

 In the United States it is said to be of quite common occurrence 

 that children have some of their molars extracted, as the lower 

 jaw is too small to allow of the development of the normal 

 number of teeth. Speaking generally, we may say that the 

 teeth of civilised man stand at one end of the scale, those of 

 the anthropoids at the other, and the negro's midway between. 



To palaeolithic man eating and chewing were evidently of 

 more importance than speaking. The jaws were longer and 

 contained larger teeth. Since then the tendency to a reduction 

 of the upper and lower jaw a tendency dating still farther back 

 in man's history together with the transition from prognathism 

 to orthognism has sensibly increased. As a form of compensa- 

 tion, the jaws have become broader, as Toldt (see above) has 

 shown, and in the lower jaw the chin has been developed.' 2 



Klaatsch, to whose untiring pen we owe the rehabilitation 

 of the Neanderthal man, and who follows up the very earliest 

 traces of man, regards the human teeth from an original point 

 of view. As in his opinion man by no means stands at 

 the head of all living beings with respect to all parts of his 



1 Darwin, loc. cit., v., 257. 2 R. Wiedersheim, he. cit., p. 172. 



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