514 
DR. J. BARNARD DAVIS ON THE WEIGHT OF THE BRAIN 
Notes to Table I. — European Races. 
1. Ancient Britons. — The average weight of the brain in 56 skulls of men is 52-54 oz., 
or 1489 grins. ; that of 10 women 43-27 oz., or 1226 grms. The mean of the sexes is 
47-90 oz., or 1357 grms.; the mean of the series gives a brain-weight of 45-83 oz., or 
1299 grms. 
2. Ancient Scottish. — The mean of these 5 skulls, 3 of men and 2 of women, is 43-42 
oz., or 1230 grms. 
3. Ancient Bomano-Britons. — The mean weight of brain deduced from 56 crania, 44 
of which are those of males and 12 of females, is 45‘97 oz., or 1303 grms. 
4. Anglo-Saxons. — The average brain-weight of about the same number of Anglo- 
Saxon crania, in which the males and females are nearly in the same proportion, is very 
nearly the same, viz. 45*46 oz., or 1288 grms. 
5. English. — The average brain-weight of 21 English men is 50-28 oz., or 1425 grms. ; 
that of 13 English women 43-13 oz., or 1222 grms. That of the entire series, of which 
three-fifths are those of men and two-fifths those of women, is 47 - 50 oz., or 1346 grms. 
It should here be observed that the great design kept in view in forming the collection 
of skulls from which our data are derived was to acquire exotic crania. Not a single 
English example has been sought for, and some of those which have accidentally fallen 
into our hands may be poor specimens ; so that the average weight of the English brain 
may be a little higher than is here set down. Still, a comparison with actually tested 
weights of brains shows that there cannot be any material error. 
Dr. T. B. Peacock has made two series of metrological observations on the weight of 
the brain. The first was conducted at the Edinburgh Infirmary, and therefore refers 
to the brains of the Scotch. The second was conducted in London, and related to 
English brains. Dr. Tiiurnam has analyzed Dr. Peacock’s Tables, and gives as the 
result that he found the Scotch adult male brain to weigh on the average 50 oz. av., 
and that of the English 49 oz.* 
In the former series of observations by Dr. Peacock upon the Scotch brains, he states 
as his first conclusion that “ The encephalon in the adult male weighs, on an average, 
50 oz. 3-25 dr., or 3 lb. 2 oz. and 3*^ drachms avoirdupois, and exceeds in weight that 
of the female by 5 oz. 4*95 dr., the latter weighing on an average 44 oz. and 14-3 dr., 
or 2 lb. 12 oz. 14f-f dr.”f. To express Dr. Peacock’s conclusion in our mode, it is as 
nearly as may be that the male brain weighs 50-34 oz., and the female 44-15 oz. Our 
: results give 50-28 oz. and 43-13 oz. respectively for the English brain. 
Dr. Peacock’s Note deserves to be quoted. It is to the following effect : — “ A com- 
parison of these averages, with those deduced by Dr. Reid, will show that they corre- 
spond very closely, though the numbers on which the calculations are based are consi- 
: derably extended. They do not differ, also, very greatly from the conclusions of Sir 
* “ Outlie Weight of the Brain, and on the Circumstances affecting it, by John Totten am,” Journal of Mental 
: Science, vol. xii. p. 15. 
j f Op. cit. p. 19. 
