646 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



historic trepanation in its various stages were shown; the cut was 

 made deep, then slighter, a portion of the rondelle taken out, and. 

 finally, the entire piece. This operation was performed by Dr. Capi- 

 tan to show how it might have been done in prehistoric times. The 

 implements with which it was performed were all laid by the side 

 of the skull. They were the knives and scrapers of sharp Hint, pieces 

 of wood and bone to support them, and by which the trepanned piece 

 could be lifted out. 



There were also skulls of dogs, one of which had been trepauued after 

 death, another which had been trepanned during life, and lived three 

 weeks. Again another which had the same operation performed and 

 lived six months; another, six weeks. These dogs had all been cured 

 of the operation and were in a situation to live as long as they might. 

 They were then killed for the purpose of obtaining the information 

 concerning the operation. The results were such as to show that the 

 implements and instruments used produced a trepanation identical with 

 those observed upon prehistoric skulls. 



This display of Dr. Capitan wonld have warmed the hearts of our 

 doctors at the Army Medical Museum if they could but have seen it. 



It was supplemented and made much more interesting by nearly all 

 the genuine and original trepanned skulls from France. 



It goes without saying that this exposition was filled with all the 

 necessary descriptive charts and casts, colored plates, characteristic 

 subjects for study of anatomy and the human form, but they can not be 

 mentioned here. There were extensive representations of the races and 

 peoples of the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 



Complete series of instruments of craniometry and anthropometry 

 were exhibited ; those by Mathieu, Collen, Tramout, Molteni, Colas, and 

 Mr. Francis Galton, of Great Britain; also those by Dr. Gillet de 

 Grandmont by Hamy of the Ethnographic Musee of the Trocadero, 

 Demeny of t\ie College de France, Dr. Luigi Anfosso, and others from 

 Italy, and not to be forgotten was that of Dr. Benedikt of the Univer- 

 sity of Vienna. He has just published a work upon the subject of 

 craniometry. 



It has appeared to me fit in times past to criticise adversely the 

 apathy, if not to say opposition, on the part of some of the people of 

 the United States to the science of anthropometry. Anthropometry 

 and craniologymay not have been able to classify the races of men in 

 either a perfect or approved manner, and so some of our anthropolo- 

 gists have been led to oppose it; but it is of such benefit and impor- 

 tance as that it ought not to be overlooked nor fall into disuse. I may 

 be excused if I give a list of some of the instruments used for this pur- 

 pose. I take the exhibit of Mr. Francis Galton. He has described his 

 system and his instruments in the Journal of the Anthropological In- 

 stitute, and I shall not repeat it. 



