DE. J. CLELAND ON THE YAEIATIONS OE THE HUMAN SKULL. 
163 
kept in view that the rotations of the skull on the column at different ages involve change 
in the relations of the flexible soft parts to the bony framework of the features. Hence, 
while there is no ambiguity as to what is meant by placing the face of either a living or 
dead person so as to look directly forwards, the greatest of all difficulties in examining 
skulls is to know how the features lay to the face-bones. 
When a young infant is supported with its face directed straight forwards, the most 
characteristic point in the appearance of its head is the height of the parietal region, 
which we now know depends partly on the small proportional development of the frontal 
region, and partly on the position of the skull on the vertebral column ; while the 
prominence of the face in the region of the nostrils depends on the large orbito-nasal 
angle and the slope upwards and forwards of the line of orbital length, the result of 
incomplete cranial curvature. 
In childhood the parietal height becomes less marked as the forehead fills up ; and 
there being as yet little rotation on the vertebral column, and the orbits remaining com- 
paratively shallow, while the cranial curvature has increased, the frontal eminences appear 
more prominent than in either the infant or the adult. Thus the frontal region, 
although it has by no means gained the proportion to the parietal which it bears in the 
adult, makes a great show ; but its actual smallness is revealed by the low position and 
closeness one to the other of the frontal eminences. Both in infancy and childhood, the 
midoccipital point, owing to the head being not yet tilted up, is placed very high, 
which, with the non-development of the tuberosity and the want of muscularity of the 
neck, gives a slender appearance to the lower and back part of the head. 
In the adult male the rotation backwards on the vertebral column combines with the 
development of the frontal sinuses and face to give a retreating appearance to the fore- 
head, and, together with the increased prominence of the occipital tuberosity, gives a 
rounded fulness to the lower back part of the skull. It is a grave mistake to predicate 
deficient development of the anterior lobes of the brain from a retreating forehead, or 
great development from a vertical forehead, without reference to the rest of the form of 
the head. Large anterior cerebral lobes may be the cause of a retreating forehead, by 
causing rotation backwards, for they will add to the weight of the fore part of the head 
as much as heavy jaws would : but if the cranial curvature be not deficient, the rotation 
consequent on the weight in front will give a rounded appearance to the lower back 
part of the skull, by lowering the position of the occipital tuberosity. The physiogno- 
mical effect of this is very important. Much is said of the physiognomic value of a high 
forehead, and little store is placed on fulness of the lower and back part of the head ; 
but the artistic value of apparent occipital development is easily demonstrated by draw- 
ing a profile and varying the limiting line of the lower part of the skull behind. The 
change of one line at this part may be made to convert an intelligent-looking head into 
that of a weak-minded person, without alteration of a single feature of the face. The 
anatomical fact which the change of line indicates is an arrest of development of the 
whole brain, whether large or small, leaving the cranial curvature incomplete. 
