332 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 182 



vault whether the skull had been longheaded or roundheaded, and 

 whether or not it had been deformed. Any unusual features of the 

 vault were noted at this time. The next step was the examination of 

 the teeth, for caries, degree of wear, or other significant variations. 

 Tooth wear was recorded as first to fourth degree (see ftn. 5, p. 351). 

 Wlien a tooth was missing, abscess or other inflammatory change in 

 the alveolus was interpreted as evidence of caries or other dental 

 pathology; and signs of alveolar healing as evidence of loss of the 

 tooth before death. In the absence of such changes, it was presumed 

 that the missing tooth was probably healthy and had fallen out after 

 death. 



Next the rest of the bones were examined for pathological lesions, 

 injuries, arthritis, anomalies, or other deviations from normal size or 

 form.^ Absence of any comment, therefore, may be taken to mean 

 that nothing unusual was seen, or if seen, was so slight as not to deserve 

 notice. Some of the descriptions are not as precise as would be de- 

 sirable. Damage to the ends of long bones occasionally made it im- 

 possible to tell whether a particular bone came from the right or left 

 limb ; and absence of parts of the vertebral column and rib cage pre- 

 vented more than a general identification of the vertebra or rib being 

 described. Finally, when certain features occurred in a majority of 

 specimens, these are described under the appropriate heading. 



Age determinations in the children were made on the basis of tooth 

 eruption, where the skull and jaws were sufficiently intact to permit 

 this; otherwise, on the basis of size. After the completion of tooth 

 eruption, age determinations had to be made on the basis of epiphyseal 

 imion, changes in the pubic symphysis, appearance of arthritis or 

 other signs of aging. Although the determinations are not exact, they 

 are accurate enough to permit dividing the series into infants (birth 

 to 3 years), young children (4—6 j^ears), older children (7-12 years), 

 adolescents (13-17 years), subadults (18-20 years), young adults 

 (21-35 years) and middle-aged adults (36-55 years). Some of the 

 skeletons of indeterminate age may have belonged to old adults (over 

 55 years) . 



Before adolescence, sex cannot be determined with accuracy. In 

 older adolescents and adults, sex was determined on the basis of the 

 pelvis, where present; and on the basis of slmll features, general size, 

 and gracility where no pelvic parts were present. 



Bass' method of measurement was not stated ; presumably he fol- 

 lowed Snow's methods. However, a spot-check by Hoyme indicates 



2 It is not always easy to distinguish between "pathology" and "anomalies." In this 

 report, "pathology" will be used to designate some inflammatory process, as evidenced by 

 altered bone texture, whether resulting from nutritional deficiency or caused by local In- 

 jury or general systemic infection ; "arthritis" will be considered to mean the normal wear 

 and tear on joints, usually a concomitant of aging, disregarding the fact that some ar- 

 thritides are of pathogenic origin ; and "anomaly" will be used to designate those ap- 

 parently normal developmental variations, which seem unrelated to disease. 



