SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY 
ANTHROPOLOGY. 
The Wisdom-Teeth and the Evolution of Man . — The results of Prof. Man- 
tegazza’s researches on the posterior molar teeth in man, which are briefly 
referred to by Mr. Darwin in his “Descent of Man/’ have appeared in a 
memoir entitled “II terzo molare nelle razze umani,” published in the 
last number of the “ Archivio per l’Anthropologia.” These researches were 
undertaken to test the soundness of the view put forward by Mr. Darwin 
that “the posterior molar or wisdom-teeth were tending to become rudi- 
mentary in the more civilised races of man/’ and the rich craniological collec- 
tion in the national museum at Florence, which has been carefully examined 
by Prof. Mantegazza, must have afforded ample materials on which to found 
an opinion. After rejecting those skulls which were too old, too young, or 
too imperfect to permit of useful investigation, no less than 1,249 skulls 
passed through Prof. Mantegazza’s hands, of which 844 were those of 
modern highly-civilised races, 277 those of modern inferior races, and the 
remaining 128 belonged to Romans, Etruscans, Phoenicians, and other 
nations of antiquity. From the investigation of these skulls he finds that the 
wisdom-teeth are more frequently wanting in the superior than in the 
inferior races of man, the proportion being 42-42 per cent, in the higher 
against 19*86 per cent, in the lower types, which result agrees entirely with 
Mr. Darwin’s view. Prof. Mantegazza, however, finds that atrophy of the 
third molar occurs less frequently in the higher than in the lower races, the 
proportion in this case being 10*90 per cent, in the higher to 20*58 (or very 
little short of double) in the lower types. While in the lower races the 
abnormal and normal cases are virtually equal (the figures being 50*44 in 
the latter and 49*46 in the former), with the higher races the fact is found 
to be very different, there being no less than 62*91 per cent, of abnormal to 
37*09 per cent, of normal teeth. The crania of ancient types appear to stand 
intermediate between the higher and lower races of modern times, exhibiting 
27'34 per cent, of skulls in which third molars are wanting, and 16*41 per 
cent, in which they are atrophied. With respect to the number of fangs 
possessed by wisdom-teeth, Prof. Mantegazza’s investigations show that 
these teeth have three roots in 51*35 per cent, of the skulls of modern high 
races, in 45*20 per cent, of modern low races, and in 46*43 per cent, of 
ancient types. While wisdom-teeth with four and with two fangs were 
found to be more common in the modern high races than in any others, 
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