D. H. DE Souza 
487 
Material. Emmons measured 217 pelves of the American Indian squaw in 
different museums in the United States of America. Our calculations have been 
made from these measurements; 216 pelves were considered in most cases, No. 115 
in Emmons's Table being omitted as the diagonal conjugate was not stated. In 
calculations involving the pubic height only 212 were available, as this measure- 
ment was not given in Nos. 13, 72, 79, and 132 in his Table. 
For the definitions of the different diameters" and the way in which each was 
measured reference must be made to Emmons's paper. The names used by him 
have been retained with one exception. The term oblique diameter, as it has more 
than one significance, has been replaced by diagonal conjugate. The latter name 
is that usually given in this country to the diameter in question (sacro-subpubic) 
and is less likely to cause confusion. 
Two modern English pelves, one male and one female, and two ancient 
Egyptian female pelves, kindly lent by Prof. Thane and Dr Derry respectively, 
were measured in the dry and moist state to ascertain differences in the diameters 
under these conditions. The measurements of these pelves and of an ancient 
Egyptian male pelvis, the property of Prof. Pearson, were employed to test the 
formulae calculated from the American Indian pelves. 
For the numbers showing the thickness of the soft parts over the hip bone we 
are indebted to Dr Derry. They were obtained from measurements taken on 
20 post mortem subjects. The maximum inter-cristal diameter was measured 
with callipers. As will appear later, a knowledge of the height of the hip bone 
may be of service in calculating diameters. This height, however, would vary in 
the living subject according to the position of the pelvis. If a woman be seated 
on a table it is easy to measure the maximum height of the iliac crest above the 
table. This could readily be done by the obstetrician if the measurement proved 
useful to him. It was therefore decided to consider this a measure of the height 
of the hip bone in the moist condition and covered with tissues. With the thigh 
of the corpse flexed to the sitting posture and the callipers pressed from above on 
to the iliac crest and from below on to the ischial tuberosity, this height is obtained. 
Dr Derry soon found, however, that he got the same result if he took the measure- 
ment with the subject supine, one limb of the callipers being pressed down from 
above on to the iliac crest as before, the instrument crossing in front of the groin, 
and the other limb passing between the thighs to reach the ischial tuberosity from 
below. Dr Braxton Hicks has confirmed this independently on three subjects. 
Accordingly most of the measurements have been taken in this manner. 
The thickness of the soft parts was measured by means of an instrument with 
a rounded blade about as thick as a coarse darning needle but with not so fine a 
point. This was fitted into a hollow handle into- which it could be pushed against 
a spring. A graduated scale showed the length of needle protruding from the 
handle. When in use the blade was passed through the skin and soft parts till 
its point was in contact with the bone. The handle was then pushed firmly 
62—2 
