Eskimo Osteology c57 



The index of platycnemia of these Eskimo tibiae varied from 76-4 to 65-6 

 These were well below the European average of 88 •2,0") but did not represent 

 the extreme degree of platycnemia displayed by the two ancient Egyptian 

 skeletons Referred to above, where the indices were as low as 57 • 5 and 56-2. 



The Intermembral Index 



Owing to the wholesale destruction of the limb bones by wild animals, this 

 index could be estimated in only two (male) skeletons. For these the figures 

 were 70-6 and 70-2, which were in the vicinity of the Eskimo average of 73-4 

 given by Duckworth^") (for two skeletons). It may be observed that this index 

 is always over 100 in the anthropoid apes, owing to the greater length of the 

 upper limb in these animal types. In man, however, owing to the preponder- 

 ating length of the lower limbs, the index falls considerably below 100, and it is 

 interesting to note that in modern Hominidae (with the exception of the Bam- 

 bute pygmies) the index shows a very slight inter-racial variation, being closely 

 in the vicinity of 70. 



The Radio-Humeral Index 



This index was 68 • 03 and 74 • 02 in the two Eskimo skeletons. The race is 

 usually in the brachy-kerkic group of Turner (^*) with an index under 75, so that 

 the two above examples conform to this grouping, which also includes the 

 European type. The index, of course, demonstrated that the radius is relatively 

 short in the Eskimo, and this places him in the group furthest away from the 

 simian type. The writer(") found radio-humeral indices of 78-6 and 81-3 in two 

 ancient Egyptian male skeletons. 



The Tibio-Femoral Index 



This was 80-7 and 81-8 in these two skeletons. The indices were thus 

 below 83, and placed them in the brachycnemic category, in which Eskimos 

 are usually grouped with Europeans and most of the yellow races. Tibio- 

 femoral indices of 83 • 4 and 82 • 7 were recorded by the writer(") in two ancient 

 Egyptian skeletons, which therefore closely approximated to the above figures. 



The Humero-Femoral Index 



This was 75 ■ 9 and 73-4 in the two cases. These are decidedly below the 

 Eskimo average of 77 • 7 given by Turner .(i*) Duckworth(") challenges Turner's 

 assertion that the Eskimos are amongst the most simian of modern races so 

 far as this index is concerned and these two results, scanty as they are, give 

 support to this challenge. Humero-femoral indices of 68-8 and 71-2 were found 

 by the writer(") in two ancient Egyptian skeletons, which thus approximated 

 to the Anglo-Saxon average of 71. 



In concluding, the author desires to place on record his appreciation of 

 the assistance of his Demonstrator, Dr. Gerald Grant, and of his senior students 

 Clarence G. Campbell, B.A., and Howard A. Creighton, B.A., in the calculation of 

 the various cranial measurements and indices. We worked in couples and then 

 checked our individual results so as to make the records as accurate as possible. 

 Our task was no light one, as thousands of calculations and measurements had 

 to be made. However, we trust that by these means the possibility of error has 

 been reduced to a minimum. 



It gave me much gratification to be able to secure the services of Dr. S. G. 

 Ritchie and Dr. J. Stanley Bagnall, Dalhousie University Dental School, for the 

 report upon the dentition. They had a free hand in the matter, and have 

 assumed full responsibility for that section of the publication. 



