926 REPORT—1896. 
5 feet 7°52 inches (1,715 mm.), which is probably about equal to that of the general 
population of the Isle of Man. It seems to be highest in the north-western 
parishes, where also dark hair and dark eyes are least prevalent. Dark hair, 
usually coupled with grey eyes, is most abundant in the somewhat rough and in- 
fertile parishes of Maughold and Lonan; while dark eyes are comparatively fre- 
quent in the central parishes, which contain the two towns of Douglas and Peel, 
where the Scandio-Gaelic stock is probably less pure. 
3. The Trinil Femur (Pithecanthropus erectus) contrasted with the Femora 
of various Savage and Civilised Races. Ly Davip Hepsurn, J.D., 
LRS. Ed., Lecturer on Regional Anatomy in the University of 
Edinburgh. 
In this paper the Trini femur was criticised from the standpoint claimed for 
it by Dr. Dubois, namely, that it presents a conjunction of three features not 
found on human femora : 
1. ¢ The trochanteric line is less raised.’ 
2. ‘The shaft is on the inner side far more round.’ 
3. ‘The popliteal space is less developed, convex in its middle, so that at this 
height the shaft is almost round instead of flattened.’ 
According to Dr. Dubois this last feature has never been found by him ‘in 
human femora, even separately.’ 
Dealing especially with the popliteal space, the author presented the results of 
a detailed examination of the varied collection of human femora in the Anatomical 
Museum of the University of Edinburgh, in which he followed the methods of 
enquiry adopted by Professor Manouyrier, of Paris. 
The femora examined in this research were: 13 Maori, 14 Aboriginal 
Australian, 12 Andamanese, 5 Sandwich Islands, 4 Lapp, 4 Eskimo, 6 Hindu, 
2 Bengalee, 2 Sikh, 2 Malay, 2 Chinese, 2 Bushman, 2 Kaffir, 9 Negro, 2 Creole, 
1 Egyptian, 3 Guanche, and several dozens of British femora obtained from the 
dissecting-room and used for the ordinary purposes of anatomical teaching. 
As the majority of these race femora formed natural pairs, attention was drawn 
to the absence of symmetry existing between the two femora of the same 
individual. 
Reference was made to the signification of the antero-posterior diameters of the 
popliteal region which Professor Manouvrier has symbolised as ‘mn’ and ‘ mp,’ 
and attention drawn to the fact that ‘mp’>‘mn’ implies either flattening or con- 
vexity of this surface, which in modern European femora tends to show concavity, 
and therefore ‘mp ’<‘ mn.’ 
The author has found ‘mp’>‘ mn’ in the following femora: Lapp 1, Eskimo 1, 
Maori 1, Hindu 2, Negro 3, Bushman 2, Andaman 5, Aboriginal Australian 4, 
Guanche 2, British 4. 
Measurements and indices of these femora were given and their significance 
commented upon, in the course of which the factors concerned in producing a high 
popliteal index: were criticised and their fallacies pointed out. 
In an Australian femur from Swan Hill, N.S.W., the same popliteal measure- 
ments and zvdez as given for the Trinil femur were obtained. 
The differences in the popliteal indices of the two femora forming a natural 
pair were given and commented upon, in order to show that the appearances found 
in one bone form no certain guide to the state of its fellow. 
The author therefore claims convexity of the popliteal surface of the femur as a 
human character, and, moreover, he has seen the condition of the anterior intertro- 
chanteric line, and the convexity of the inner aspect of the femoral shaft conjoined 
on one bone, as in the Trinil femur, c.g. in Australian and Negro femora. 
In endeavouring to explain the causes of convexity of the popliteal surface the 
author divided them into normal and pathological groups. 
In the former he referred to mechanical needs for resisting strain, and to the 
special features resulting from muscular and aponeurotic attachments, 
