116 
influence of the shape of the head by pre- 
mature closure, anomalous sutures such as 
the persistent frontal or subsagittal or inter- 
parietal, and, finally, the supernumerary 
bones which appear occasionally in certain 
sutures. As examples of the second series 
we may illustrate such craniometrical ob- 
servations as the variations in the cubic 
capacity of the skull, or the cephalic index— 
the relation of the length to the breadth of 
the skull; or, of other parts of the skeleton, 
the various forms of pelvic and scapular 
indices. Still another but minor group 
should illustrate the diverse forms of arti- 
ficially deformed skulls which are found 
in various parts of the world, and along 
with them should be shown the cradle- 
boards, bandages and other appliances 
which were used to produce such deforma- 
tion. 
If we include the teeth in our exhibit of 
the skeleton there is much that can be 
shown. Thus we would have illustrated 
the time of eruption of the milk and per- 
manent teeth, the degrees and causes of 
wear, the appearance of the jaws due to loss 
of teeth, and the changes which have taken 
and are taking place in man’s [dentition. 
Still another series or subsection presents 
in one comprehensive view the skeleton of 
man by the side of those of his first and 
second cousins, from the gorilla down to 
the lowest lemurs, including the models or 
casts of the earliest human bones which 
have yet been found. In fact, the limits are 
very wide to this section which is devoted 
to the skeleton. Many of the changes 
which have taken place in man’s gradual 
acquisition of the upright position can be 
shown and made most instructive; such 
modifications can still be seen in the pelvis, 
the bones of the arms and legs, the shoul- 
der-blade, and in the gradual shifting of 
the great body cavities, as seen in the vari- 
ation in the number of ribs and vertebra 
and the gradual shortening of the breast- 
SCIENCE. 
[N. 8. Von. VI. No. 134. 
bone. This, by no means, exhausts the in- 
teresting and instructive changes which can 
be rung on the skeleton and its component 
members. But all of this requires an un- 
limited supply of material from widely dis- 
tinct races ; it also requires, for purposes of 
illustration, free access to the skeletons of 
apes and other mammals, and even of lower 
vertebrates. 
But of the first general section we have 
considered only one system of man’s struc- 
ture; the others should have their proper 
amount of attention. Here we meet with 
a real difficulty; the other systems are only 
prepared and exhibited at considerable 
labor and expense, and, worst of all, we can 
not have such free command of material 
from all races from which to draw. We 
can dig up the bony remains of the Papuan, 
but he refuses to be dissected. There is, 
however, much that can be shown. Take 
the muscular system; by means of alcoholic 
and dried preparations, and by following a 
definite scheme, we can hope to show some 
of the variations which demand 900 pages 
for their description at the hands of a 
French anatomist.* By a careful arrange- 
ment we can demonstrate that certain mus- 
cles are peculiar to man, those which are 
required by his upright position and especi- 
ally by the extended use to which he puts 
his hands; that he retains other muscles 
which he no longer needs, as, for example, 
some of the muscles of his ears and feet; 
and, finally, that there are occasionally pres- 
ent muscles which, in general, man has lost, 
but which still survive in an extremely 
rudimentary condition in some men, such 
as the caudal or tail muscles. 
With the nervous system the problem of 
exhibition becomes at once less difficult 
again, and the possibilities of museum dis- 
play are very great. Those who were for- 
tunate enough to have visited the Section 
* Testut : Les anomalies musculaires chez l’homme. 
Paris, 1887. 
