TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION II. 



773 



4. Note on the Development of the Wisdom-Teeth. Bxj Ridolfo Livi, M.B. 



In January and December 1885, and in November 1886, when I -was visiting 

 tlie conscripts born in the years 1864, 1865, and 186(!, in the military districts of 

 Monza(Lombardy) and Ancona (Marclie), at the time of tlieir arrival at the regi- 

 ment, I took notice of the development of the -wisdom-teeth. 



In so short a time as that ordinarily devoted to such visits I was able to note 

 only the number of the teeth existing in each mouth, without calculating their 

 respective position in the dental arch. Yet even this simple observation — if com- 

 bined with others that the military surgeon in Italy is by regulation obliged to 

 make — may lead to some useful result on this point, the importance of which in 

 the question of the hierarchy of the human races was first divined by the great 

 Darwin. 



The total number of individuals examined was 732 ; namely, 3GG natives of the 

 military district of Monza (Lombardy) and 3G0 of the military district of Ancona 

 (Marche). Their average age, calculated according to the above dates, was 

 twenty years and five months. The two groups are divided as follows in regard 

 to the number of the wisdom-teeth : — 



Table I. 



I must note here the small number of individuals who have an odd number of 

 wisdom-teeth. This is evidently a consequence of the fact that the wisdom-teeth 

 appear generally two by two. According to the observations of Magitot ' the 

 superior teeth should be the first to appear. 



The relation between the number of wisdom-teeth and the height is shown in 

 Tables II. and III. :— 



Table II. 



' Bulletin de la SociH6 d'AnthrojJoloffie dc Paris ; Stance du 20 Fcvrier, 1879 

 (p. 156). 



