90 LECTURE III. 



A second series of skulls was obtained by Broca from an old 

 cliurcliyardj CimetQre cles Innocents, wbich was opened under 

 Philip Augustus in the twelfth century, and used up to the 

 eighteenth century. Finally, a third series was obtained from 

 a more recent churchyard, the Gimetih-e de I' Quest, used from 

 1 788 to ] 824. The skulls are indicated in the table as Parisi- 

 ans of the nineteenth century. Both these churchyards served 

 chiefly for the poorer classes ; but Broca was enabled to form 

 three series of the skulls of the Gimetiere de I' Quest; namely, 

 crania from the pit, in which the bodies were buried after 

 having been exposed in the Morgue, and which consequently 

 belonged chiefly to suicides, and unknown persons accidentally 

 killed ; skulls from the common pit where paupers were buried ; 

 and lastly, skulls from private graves, for the preservation of 

 which a fee was exacted, and which consequently were the 

 skulls of people of some means, who, it may be assumed, were 

 better educated than the others. 



On comparing Broca's results, we find first that the skulls of 

 suicides exhibit the highest average, which may, perhaps, be 

 explained by the fact that in most of these cases cerebral dis- 

 eases may have been the cause of the act of self-destruction. 

 But what is more striking is the difierence between the skulls 

 obtained from the common pit and those from private graves ; 

 for it amounts to above eighty cubic centimeters, — a large 

 amount, considering that the total capacity does not amount 

 to 1,500 cubic centimeters. "We may hence infer that indivi- 

 duals engaged in art and science possess a higher cranial capa- 

 city than mere labourers, — a result which is confirmed by other 

 observations to which we shall recur. 



Broca's observations yield, moreover, the remarkable result, 

 that the cranium of the Parisian population has, in the course 

 of centuries, gained in capacity. On comparing the skulls of 

 the twelfth with those of the nineteenth century, we find that 

 the capacity has increased. This single fact may, perhaps, not 

 be suflicient to estabUsh a rule ; but it afi"ords an index, and if 

 supported by other facts, we shall be justified in inferring that, 

 by progressive civilisation the cranial capacity of a race may, 

 in the course of centuries, become gradually increased. 



