June 26, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



1013 



pacity, flowing through a definite size funnel 

 and with regulated rapidity, will give different 

 results from those given by any other sub- 

 stance flowing through the same funnel and 

 with equally regulated rapidity. (c) Given 

 the same regulation of rapidity of the flow, 

 there can be obtained, through the proper 

 selection of funnels of different diameter, any 

 measurement, ranging between the minimum 

 and maximum of a substance of medium 

 weight and size, by all the solid substances 

 employable for filling the cranial cavity. 



Without going into details, I may state that 

 I obtained a very efficient regulation of the 

 flow by adding to the funnel a movable stop- 

 per.* By doing this I found by many prac- 

 tical demonstrations that it becomes imma- 

 terial as to with what rapidity, or in what 

 manner, the funnel is filled before opening 

 the stopper. This removes at once all source 

 of error connected with the emptying of the 

 cranial contents, and allows us to dispense 

 with the extra vessel used in measuring the 



* Landau's stopper differs in kind, but is ap- 

 parently allied in purpose. ^ 



cranial contents in Welcker's procedure. With 

 the funnel closed, the cranial contents are 

 poured into it entirely at the convenience of 

 the measurer. 



In 1901 I had constructed, mainly on the 

 basis of Broca's, a special apparatus, of which 

 a cut is inserted, and with this I have worked 

 since with much ease and with entire satis- 

 faction. My favorite mode of filling the skull 

 is that used by Flower. To measure the con- 

 tents, they are emptied directly, in any way 

 desired, into a combination of a zinc vessel 

 (higher than, but otherwise similar to, the 

 standard Broca's double litre) and a remov- 

 able funnel of 45° dip, with 15 mm. high ver- 

 tical section, which, for my purpose (using 

 old, dry mustard seed), is 20 mm. in diameter. 

 Immediately below the funnel is a movable 

 disk which acts as its stopper. The disk is 

 attached to a rod which rises along the side 

 of the vessel and above its border, and ends 

 in a lever; by using this lever the disk closes 

 or opens the funnel. A number of extra fun- 

 nels, of the same dip but of different sizes, are 

 provided, from which to choose if another sub- 

 stance than mustard seed is used for the fill- 

 ing. The vessel with the cranial contents is 

 placed on the top of a 2,000-c.c. graduated 

 glass tube (such as used by Eanke), which is 

 fixed in a vertical position. The zinc vessel 

 is provided with a groove in its bottom which 

 exactly fits the border of the glass, the open- 

 ing of the funnel being central. Then the 

 lever is rapidly pushed to either side, opening 

 the funnel at once and completely, and the flow 

 left to itself; the level which the seed reaches 

 (determined simply by the eye or, preferably, 

 by the careful aid, without any shocks or pres- 

 sure, of a niveau finder, such as comes with 

 Ranke's tube) is the skull capacity. Thus 

 the measuring part of the capacity determina- 

 tion is entirely reduced to a mechanical one, 

 which not only makes it very easy, but elim- 

 inates from it all source of error due to per- 

 sonal equation. All that a student needs to 

 learn is some method by which a complete and 

 uniform filling of the skull can be effected, 

 and then, working with the aid of the standard 

 skull, choose the proper funnel; the rest is 



