\"Aswecannotnowlookupontheprimitiveworldasrepresentingawhollydifferentconditionofthings,fromwhichnotransitionexiststotheorganiclifeofthepresenttime,thedesignationof’fossil’,asappliedto’abone’,hasnolongerthesenseitconveyedinthetimeofCuvier。Sufficientgroundsexistfortheassumptionthatmancoexistedwiththeanimalsfoundinthe’diluvium’;andmanyabarbarousracemay,beforeallhistoricaltime,havedisappeared,togetherwiththeanimalsoftheancientworld,whilsttheraceswhoseorganizationisimprovedhavecontinuedthegenus。Theboneswhichformthesubjectofthispaperpresentcharacterswhich,althoughnotdecisiveasregardsageologicalepoch,are,nevertheless,suchasindicateaveryhighantiquity。Itmayalsoberemarkedthat,commonasistheoccurrenceofdiluvialanimalbonesinthemuddydepositsofcaverns,suchremainshavenothithertobeenmetwithinthecavesoftheNeanderthal;andthatthebones,whichwerecoveredbyadepositofmudnotmorethanfourorfivefeetthick,andwithoutanyprotectivecoveringofstalagmite,haveretainedthegreatestpartoftheirorganicsubstance。
\"Thesecircumstancesmightbeadducedagainsttheprobabilityofageologicalantiquity。Norshouldwebejustifiedinregardingthecranialconformationasperhapsrepresentingthemostsavageprimitivetypeofthehumanrace,sincecraniaexistamonglivingsavages,which,thoughnotexhibiting,sucharemarkableconformationoftheforehead,whichgivestheskullsomewhattheaspectofthatofthelargeapes,stillinotherrespects,asforinstanceinthegreaterdepthofthetemporalfossae,thecrest—like,prominenttemporalridges,andagenerallylesscapaciouscranialcavity,exhibitanequallylowstageofdevelopment。Thereisnoreasonforsupposingthatthedeepfrontalhollowisduetoanyartificialflattening,suchasispractisedinvariousmodesbybarbarousnationsintheOldandNewWorld。Theskullisquitesymmetrical,andshowsnoindicationofcounter—pressureattheocciput,whilst,accordingtoMorton,intheFlat—headsoftheColumbia,thefrontalandparietalbonesarealwaysunsymmetrical。Itsconformationexhibitsthesparingdevelopmentoftheanteriorpartoftheheadwhichhasbeensooftenobservedinveryancientcrania,andaffordsoneofthemoststrikingproofsoftheinfluenceofcultureandcivilizationontheformofthehumanskull。\"
Inasubsequentpassage,Dr。Schaaffhausenremarks:
\"ThereisnoreasonwhateverforregardingtheunusualdevelopmentofthefrontalsinusesintheremarkableskullfromtheNeanderthalasanindividualorpathologicaldeformity;itisunquestionablyatypicalrace—character,andisphysiologicallyconnectedwiththeuncommonthicknessoftheotherbonesoftheskeleton,whichexceedsbyaboutone—halftheusualproportions。Thisexpansionofthefrontalsinuses,whichareappendagesoftheair—passages,alsoindicatesanunusualforceandpowerofenduranceinthemovementsofthebody,asmaybeconcludedfromthesizeofalltheridgesandprocessesfortheattachmentofthemusclesorbones。Thatthisconclusionmaybedrawnfromtheexistenceoflargefrontalsinuses,andaprominenceofthelowerfrontalregion,isconfirmedinmanywaysbyotherobservations。
Bythesamecharacters,accordingtoPallas,thewildhorseisdistinguishedfromthedomesticated,and,accordingtoCuvier,thefossilcave—bearfromeveryrecentspeciesofbear,whilst,accordingtoRoulin,thepig,whichhasbecomewildinAmerica,andregainedaresemblancetothewildboar,isthusdistinguishedfromthesameanimalinthedomesticatedstate,asisthechamoisfromthegoat;and,lastly,thebull—dog,whichischaracterisedbyitslargebonesandstrongly—developedmusclesfromeveryotherkindofdog。Theestimationofthefacialangle,thedeterminationofwhich,accordingtoProfessorOwen,isalsodifficultinthegreatapes,owingtotheveryprominentsupra—orbitalridges,inthepresentcaseisrenderedstillmoredifficultfromtheabsencebothoftheauditoryopeningandofthenasalspine。Butiftheproperhorizontalpositionoftheskullbetakenfromtheremainingportionsoftheorbitalplates,andtheascendinglinemadetotouchthesurfaceofthefrontalbonebehindtheprominentsupra—orbitalridges,thefacialangleisnotfoundtoexceed56degrees。*Unfortunately,noportionsofthefacialbones,whoseconformationissodecisiveasregardstheformandexpressionofthehead,havebeenpreserved。Thecranialcapacity,comparedwiththeuncommonstrengthofthecorporealframe,wouldseemtoindicateasmallcerebraldevelopment。Theskull,asitis,holdsabout31ouncesofmillet—seed;andas,fromtheproportionatesizeofthewantingbones,thewholecranialcavityshouldhaveabout6ouncesmoreadded,thecontents,wereitperfect,maybetakenat37ounces。Tiedemannassigns,asthecranialcontentsintheNegro,40,38,and35ounces。
Thecraniumholdsrathermorethan36ouncesofwater,whichcorrespondstoacapacityof1033。24cubiccentimetres。HuschkeestimatesthecranialcontentsofaNegressat1127cubiccentimetres;
ofanoldNegroat1146cubiccentimetres。ThecapacityoftheMalayskulls,estimatedbywater,equalled36,33ounces,whilstinthediminutiveHindoositfallstoaslittleas27ounces。\"
[footnote]*Estimatingthefacialangleinthewaysuggested,onthecastIshouldplaceitat64degreesto67degrees。——G。B。
AftercomparingtheNeanderthalcraniumwithmanyothers,ancientandmodern,ProfessorSchaaffhausenconcludesthus:——
\"ButthehumanbonesandcraniumfromtheNeanderthalexceedalltherestinthosepeculiaritiesofconformationwhichleadtotheconclusionoftheirbelongingtoabarbarousandsavagerace。Whetherthecaverninwhichtheywerefound,unaccompaniedwithanytraceofhumanart,weretheplaceoftheirinterment,orwhether,likethebonesofextinctanimalselsewhere,theyhadbeenwashedintoit,theymaystillberegardedasthemostancientmemorialoftheearlyinhabitantsofEurope。\"
Mr。Busk,thetranslatorofDr。Schaaffhausen’spaper,hasenabledustoformaveryvividconceptionofthedegradedcharacteroftheNeanderthalskull,byplacingsidebysidewithitsoutline,thatoftheskullofaChimpanzee,drawntothesameabsolutesize。
SometimeafterthepublicationofthetranslationofProfessorSchaaffhausen’sMemoir,IwasledtostudythecastoftheNeanderthalcraniumwithmoreattentionthanIhadpreviouslybestoweduponit,inconsequenceofwishingtosupplySirCharlesLyellwithadiagram,exhibitingthespecialpeculiaritiesofthisskull,ascomparedwithotherhumanskulls。Inordertodothisitwasnecessarytoidentify,withprecision,thosepointsintheskullscomparedwhichcorrespondedanatomically。Ofthesepoints,theglabellawasobviousenough;butwhenIhaddistinguishedanother,definedbytheoccipitalprotuberanceandsuperiorsemicircularline,andhadplacedtheoutlineoftheNeanderthalskullagainstthatoftheEngisskull,insuchapositionthattheglabellaandoccipitalprotuberanceofbothwereintersectedbythesamestraightline,thedifferencewassovastandtheflatteningoftheNeanderthalskullsoprodigious(compareFigs。22and24,A。),thatIatfirstimaginedImusthavefallenintosomeerror。AndIwasthemoreinclinedtosuspectthis,as,inordinaryhumanskulls,theoccipitalprotuberanceandsuperiorsemicircularcurvedlineontheexterioroftheocciputcorrespondprettycloselywiththe’lateralsinuses’andthelineofattachmentofthetentoriuminternally。Butonthetentoriumrests,asIhavesaidintheprecedingEssay,theposteriorlobeofthebrain;andhence,theoccipitalprotuberance,andthecurvedlineinquestion,indicate,approximately,thelowerlimitsofthatlobe。Wasitpossibleforahumanbeingtohavethebrainthusflattenedanddepressed;or,ontheotherhand,hadthemuscularridgesshiftedtheirposition?Inordertosolvethesedoubts,andtodecidethequestionwhetherthegreatsupraciliaryprojectionsdid,ordidnot,arisefromthedevelopmentofthefrontalsinuses,IrequestedSirCharlesLyelltobesogoodastoobtainformefromDr。Fuhlrott,thepossessoroftheskull,answerstocertainqueries,andifpossibleacast,oratanyratedrawings,orphotographs,oftheinterioroftheskull。
FIG。24。——TheskullfromtheNeanderthalcavern。A。side,B。front,andC。topview。One—thirdthenaturalsize,byMr。Busk:thedetailsfromthecastandfromDr。Fuhlrott’sphotographs。’a’glabella;’b’
occipitalprotuberance;’d’lambdoidalsuture。
Dr。FuhlrottrepliedwithacourtesyandreadinessforwhichIaminfinitelyindebtedtohim,tomyinquiries,andfurthermoresentthreeexcellentphotographs。Oneofthesegivesasideviewoftheskull,andfromitFig。24,A。hasbeenshaded。Thesecond(Fig。25,A。)
exhibitsthewideopeningsofthefrontalsinusesupontheinferiorsurfaceofthefrontalpartoftheskull,intowhich,Dr。Fuhlrottwrites,\"aprobemaybeintroducedtothedepthofaninch,\"anddemonstratesthegreatextensionofthethickenedsupraciliaryridgesbeyondthecerebralcavity。Thethird,lastly(Fig。25,B。)exhibitstheedgeandtheinterioroftheposterior,oroccipital,partoftheskull,andshowsveryclearlythetwodepressionsforthelateralsinuses,sweepinginwardstowardsthemiddlelineoftheroofoftheskull,toformthelongitudinalsinus。Itwasclear,therefore,thatI
hadnoterredinmyinterpretation,andthattheposteriorlobeofthebrainoftheNeanderthalmanmusthavebeenasmuchflattenedasI
suspectedittobe。
Intruth,theNeanderthalcraniumhasmostextraordinarycharacters。Ithasanextremelengthof8inches,whileitsbreadthisonly5。75
inches,or,inotherwords,itslengthistoitsbreadthas100:72。Itisexceedinglydepressed,measuringonlyabout3。4inchesfromtheglabello—occipitallinetothevertex。Thelongitudinalarc,measuredinthesamewayasintheEngisskull,is12inches;thetransversearccannotbeexactlyascertained,inconsequenceoftheabsenceofthetemporalbones,butwasprobablyaboutthesame,andcertainlyexceeded101/4inches。Thehorizontalcircumferenceis23inches。Butthisgreatcircumferenceariseslargelyfromthevastdevelopmentofthesupraciliaryridges,thoughtheperimeterofthebraincaseitselfisnotsmall。Thelargesupraciliaryridgesgivetheforeheadafarmoreretreatingappearancethanitsinternalcontourwouldbearout。
Toananatomicaleyetheposteriorpartoftheskullisevenmorestrikingthantheanterior。Theoccipitalprotuberanceoccupiestheextremeposteriorendoftheskull,whentheglabello—occipitallineismadehorizontal,andsofarfromanypartoftheoccipitalregionextendingbeyondit,thisregionoftheskullslopesobliquelyupwardandforward,sothatthelambdoidalsutureissituatedwellupontheuppersurfaceofthecranium。Atthesametime,notwithstandingthegreatlengthoftheskull,thesagittalsutureisremarkablyshort(4
1/2inches),andthesquamosalsutureisverystraight。
FIG。25。——DrawingsfromDr。Fuhlrott’sphotographsofpartsoftheinterioroftheNeanderthalcranium。A。viewoftheunderandinnersurfaceofthefrontalregion,showingtheinferioraperturesofthefrontalsinuses(’a’)。B。correspondingviewoftheoccipitalregionoftheskull,showingtheimpressionsofthelateralsinuses(’aa’)。
InreplytomyquestionsDr。Fuhlrottwritesthattheoccipitalbone\"isinastateofperfectpreservationasfarastheuppersemicircularline,whichisaverystrongridge,linearatitsextremities,butenlargingtowardsthemiddle,whereitformstworidges(bourrelets),unitedbyalinearcontinuation,whichisslightlydepressedinthemiddle。\"
\"Belowtheleftridgetheboneexhibitsanobliquelyinclinedsurface,sixlines(French)long,andtwelvelineswide。\"
Thislastmustbethesurface,thecontourofwhichisshowninFig。24,A。,below’b’。Itisparticularlyinteresting,asitsuggeststhat,notwithstandingtheflattenedconditionoftheocciput,theposteriorcerebrallobesmusthaveprojectedconsiderablybeyondthecerebellum,andasitconstitutesoneamongseveralpointsofsimilaritybetweentheNeanderthalcraniumandcertainAustralianskulls。
Sucharethetwobestknownformsofhumancranium,whichhavebeenfoundinwhatmaybefairlytermedafossilstate。Caneitherbeshowntofillupordiminish,toanyappreciableextent,thestructuralintervalwhichexistsbetweenManandtheman—likeapes?Or,ontheotherhand,doesneitherdepartmorewidelyfromtheaveragestructureofthehumancranium,thannormallyformedskullsofmenareknowntodoatthepresentday?
Itisimpossibletoformanyopiniononthesequestions,withoutsomepreliminaryacquaintancewiththerangeofvariationexhibitedbyhumanstructureingeneral——asubjectwhichhasbeenbutimperfectlystudied,whileevenofwhatisknown,mylimitswillnecessarilyallowmetogiveonlyaveryimperfectsketch。
Thestudentofanatomyisperfectlywellawarethatthereisnotasingleorganofthehumanbodythestructureofwhichdoesnotvary,toagreaterorlessextent,indifferentindividuals。Theskeletonvariesintheproportions,andeventoacertainextentintheconnexions,ofitsconstituentbones。Themuscleswhichmovethebonesvarylargelyintheirattachments。Thevarietiesinthemodeofdistributionofthearteriesarecarefullyclassified,onaccountofthepracticalimportanceofaknowledgeoftheirshiftingstothesurgeon。Thecharactersofthebrainvaryimmensely,nothingbeinglessconstantthantheformandsizeofthecerebralhemispheres,andtherichnessoftheconvolutionsupontheirsurface,whilethemostchangeablestructuresofallinthehumanbrain,areexactlythoseonwhichtheunwiseattempthasbeenmadetobasethedistinctivecharactersofhumanity,viz。theposteriorcornuofthelateralventricle,thehippocampusminor,andthedegreeofprojectionoftheposteriorlobebeyondthecerebellum。Finally,asalltheworldknows,thehairandskinofhumanbeingsmaypresentthemostextraordinarydiversitiesincolourandintexture。
Sofarasourpresentknowledgegoes,themajorityofthestructuralvarietiestowhichallusionisheremade,areindividual。Theape—likearrangementofcertainmuscleswhichisoccasionallymetwith*inthewhiteracesofmankind,isnotknowntobemorecommonamongNegroesorAustralians:norbecausethebrainoftheHottentotVenuswasfoundtobesmoother,tohaveitsconvolutionsmoresymmetricallydisposed,andtobe,sofar,moreape—likethanthatofordinaryEuropeans,arewejustifiedinconcludingalikeconditionofthebraintoprevailuniversallyamongthelowerracesofmankind,howeverprobablethatconclusionmaybe。
[footnote]*SeeanexcellentEssaybyMr。ChurchontheMyologyoftheOrang,inthe’NaturalHistoryReview’,for1861。
Weare,infact,sadlywantingininformationrespectingthedispositionofthesoftanddestructibleorgansofeveryRaceofMankindbutourown;andevenoftheskeleton,ourMuseumsarelamentablydeficientineverypartbutthecranium。Skullsenoughthereare,andsincethetimewhenBlumenbachandCamperfirstcalledattentiontothemarkedandsingulardifferenceswhichtheyexhibit,skullcollectingandskullmeasuringhasbeenazealouslypursuedbranchofNaturalHistory,andtheresultsobtainedhavebeenarrangedandclassifiedbyvariouswriters,amongwhomthelateactiveandableRetziusmustalwaysbethefirstnamed。
Humanskullshavebeenfoundtodifferfromoneanother,notmerelyintheirabsolutesizeandintheabsolutecapacityofthebraincase,butintheproportionswhichthediametersofthelatterbeartooneanother;intherelativesizeofthebonesoftheface(andmoreparticularlyofthejawsandteeth)ascomparedwiththoseoftheskull;inthedegreetowhichtheupperjaw(whichisofcoursefollowedbythelower)isthrownbackwardsanddownwardsunderthefore—partofthebraincase,orforwardsandupwardinfrontofandbeyondit。Theydifferfurtherintherelationsofthetransversediameteroftheface,takenthroughthecheekbones,tothetransversediameteroftheskull;inthemoreroundedormoregable—likeformoftheroofoftheskull,andinthedegreetowhichthehinderpartoftheskullisflattenedorprojectsbeyondtheridge,intoandbelowwhich,themusclesoftheneckareinserted。
Insomeskullsthebraincasemaybesaidtobe’round,’theextremelengthnotexceedingtheextremebreadthbyagreaterproportionthan100to80,whilethedifferencemaybemuchless。*MenpossessingsuchskullsweretermedbyRetzius’brachycephalic,’andtheskullofaCalmuck,ofwhichafrontandsideview(reducedoutlinecopiesofwhicharegiveninFigure26)aredepictedbyVonBaerinhisexcellent,\"Craniaselecta,\"affordsaveryadmirableexampleofthatkindofskull。Otherskulls,suchasthatofaNegrocopiedinFig。27fromMr。Busk’s’Craniatypica,’haveaverydifferent,greatlyelongatedform,andmaybetermed’oblong。’Inthisskulltheextremelengthistotheextremebreadthas100tonotmorethan67,andthetransversediameterofthehumanskullmayfallbeloweventhisproportion。
PeoplehavingsuchskullswerecalledbyRetzius’dolichocephalic。’
[footnote]*Innonormalhumanskulldoesthebreadthofthebrain—caseexceeditslength。
Themostcursoryglanceatthesideviewsofthesetwoskullswillsufficetoprovethattheydiffer,inanotherrespect,toaverystrikingextent。TheprofileofthefaceoftheCalmuckisalmostvertical,thefacialbonesbeingthrowndownwardsandundertheforepartoftheskull。TheprofileofthefaceoftheNegro,ontheotherhand,issingularlyinclined,thefrontpartofthejawsprojectingfarforwardbeyondtheleveloftheforepartoftheskull。Intheformercasetheskullissaidtobe’orthognathous’orstraight—jawed;inthelatter,itiscalled’prognathous,’atermwhichhasbeenrendered,withmoreforcethanelegance,bytheSaxonequivalent,——’snouty。’
Variousmethodshavebeendevisedinordertoexpresswithsomeaccuracythedegreeofprognathismororthognathismofanygivenskull;mostofthesemethodsbeingessentiallymodificationsofthatdevisedbyPeterCamper,inordertoattainwhathecalledthe’facialangle。’
Butalittleconsiderationwillshowthatany’facialangle’thathasbeendevised,canbecompetenttoexpressthestructuralmodificationsinvolvedinprognathismandorthognathism,onlyinaroughandgeneralsortofway。Forthelines,theintersectionofwhichformsthefacialangle,aredrawnthroughpointsoftheskull,thepositionofeachofwhichismodifiedbyanumberofcircumstances,sothattheangleobtainedisacomplexresultantofallthesecircumstances,andisnottheexpressionofanyonedefiniteorganicrelationofthepartsoftheskull。
FIG。26。——SideandfrontviewsoftheroundandorthognathousskullofaCalmuck,afterVonBaer。One—thirdthenaturalsize。
Ihavearrivedattheconvictionthatnocomparisonofcraniaisworthverymuch,thatisnotfoundedupontheestablishmentofarelativelyfixedbaseline,towhichthemeasurements,inallcases,mustbereferred。NordoIthinkitisaverydifficultmattertodecidewhatthatbaselineshouldbe。Thepartsoftheskull,likethoseoftherestoftheanimalframework,aredevelopedinsuccessionthebaseoftheskullisformedbeforeitssidesandroof;itisconvertedintocartilageearlierandmorecompletelythanthesidesandroof:andthecartilaginousbaseossifies,andbecomessolderedintoonepiecelongbeforetheroof。Iconceivethenthatthebaseoftheskullmaybedemonstrateddevelopmentallytobeitsrelativelyfixedpart,theroofandsidesbeingrelativelymoveable。
Fig。27。——OblongandprognathousskullofaNegro;sideandfrontviews。
One—thirdofthenaturalsize。
Thesametruthisexemplifiedbythestudyofthemodificationswhichtheskullundergoesinascendingfromtheloweranimalsuptoman。
FIG。28。——LongitudinalandverticalsectionsoftheskullsofaBeaver(’CastorCanadensis’),aLemur(’L。Catia’),andaBaboon(’CynocephalusPapio’),’ab’,thebasicranialaxis;’bc’,theoccipitalplane;’iT’,thetentorialplane;’ad’,theolfactoryplane;
’fe’,thebasifacialaxis;’cba’,occipitalangle;’Tia’,tentorialangle;’dab’,olfactoryangle;’efb’,cranio—facialangle;
’gh’,extremelengthofthecavitywhichlodgesthecerebralhemispheresor’cerebrallength。’Thelengthofthebasicranialaxisastothislength,or,inotherwords,theproportionallengthoftheline’gh’tothatof’ab’takenas100,inthethreeskulls,isasfollows:——Beaver70to100;Lemur119to100;Baboon144to100。InanadultmaleGorillathecerebrallengthisas170tothebasicranialaxistakenas100,intheNegro(Fig。29)as236to100。IntheConstantinopleskull(Fig。29)as266to100。ThecranialdifferencebetweenthehighestApe’sskullandthelowestMan’sisthereforeverystrikinglybroughtoutbythesemeasurements。InthediagramoftheBaboon’sskullthedottedlines’d1d2’,etc。,givetheanglesoftheLemur’sandBeaver’sskull,aslaiddownuponthebasicranialaxisoftheBaboon。Theline’ab’hasthesamelengthineachdiagram。
InsuchamammalasaBeaver(Fig。28),aline(’ab’。)drawnthroughthebones,termedbasioccipital,basisphenoid,andpresphenoid,isverylonginproportiontotheextremelengthofthecavitywhichcontainsthecerebralhemispheres(’gh’。)。Theplaneoftheoccipitalforamen(’bc’。)formsaslightlyacuteanglewiththis’basicranialaxis,’
whiletheplaneofthetentorium(’iT’。)isinclinedatrathermorethan90degreestothe’basicranialaxis’;andsoistheplaneoftheperforatedplate(’ad’。),bywhichthefilamentsoftheolfactorynerveleavetheskull。Again,alinedrawnthroughtheaxisoftheface,betweenthebonescalledethmoidandvomer——the\"basifacialaxis\"(’fe’。)formsanexceedinglyobtuseangle,where,whenproduced,itcutsthe’basicranialaxis。’
Iftheanglemadebytheline’bc’。with’ab’。,becalledthe’occipitalangle,’andtheanglemadebytheline’ad’。with’ab’。betermedthe’olfactoryangle,’andthatmadeby’iT’。with’ab’。the’tentorialangle,’thenallthese,inthemammalinquestion,arenearlyrightangles,varyingbetween80degreesand110degrees。theangle’efb’。,orthatmadebythecranialwiththefacialaxis,andwhichmaybetermedthe’cranio—facialangle,’isextremelyobtuse,amounting,inthecaseoftheBeaver,toatleast150degrees。
Butifaseriesofsectionsofmammalianskulls,intermediatebetweenaRodentandaMan(Fig。28),beexamined,itwillbefoundthatinthehighercraniathebasicranialaxisbecomesshorterrelativelytothecerebrallength;thatthe’olfactoryangle’and’occipitalangle’
becomemoreobtuse;andthatthe’cranio—facialangle’becomesmoreacutebythebendingdown,asitwere,ofthefacialaxisuponthecranialaxis。Atthesametime,theroofofthecraniumbecomesmoreandmorearched,toallowoftheincreasingheightofthecerebralhemispheres,whichiseminentlycharacteristicofman,aswellasofthatbackwardextension,beyondthecerebellum,whichreachesitsmaximumintheSouthAmericaMonkeys。Sothat,atlast,inthehumanskull(Fig。29),thecerebrallengthisbetweentwiceandthriceasgreatasthelengthofthebasicranialaxis;theolfactoryplaneis20
degreesor30degreesonthe’under’sideofthataxis;theoccipitalangle,insteadofbeinglessthan90degrees,isasmuchas150degreesor160degrees;thecranio—facialanglemaybe90degreesorless,andtheverticalheightoftheskullmayhavealargeproportiontoitslength。
Itwillbeobvious,fromaninspectionofthediagrams,thatthebasicranialaxisis,intheascendingseriesofMammalia,arelativelyfixedline,onwhichthebonesofthesidesandroofofthecranialcavity,andoftheface,maybesaidtorevolvedownwardsandforwardsorbackwards,accordingtotheirposition。Thearcdescribedbyanyoneboneorplane,however,isnotbyanymeansalwaysinproportiontothearcdescribedbyanother。
Nowcomestheimportantquestion,canwediscern,betweenthelowestandthehighestformsofthehumancraniumanythinganswering,inhoweverslightadegree,tothisrevolutionofthesideandroofbonesoftheskulluponthebasicranialaxisobserveduponsogreatascaleinthemammalianseries?Numerousobservationsleadmetobelievethatwemustanswerthisquestionintheaffirmative。
ThediagramsinFigure29arereducedfromverycarefullymadediagramsofsectionsoffourskulls,tworoundandorthognathous,twolongandprognathous,takenlongitudinallyandvertically,throughthemiddle。
Thesectionaldiagramshavethenbeensuperimposed,insuchamanner,thatthebasalaxesoftheskullscoincidebytheiranteriorends,andintheirdirection。Thedeviationsoftherestofthecontours(whichrepresenttheinterioroftheskullsonly)showthedifferencesoftheskullsfromoneanother,whentheseaxesareregardedasrelativelyfixedlines。
ThedarkcontoursarethoseofanAustralianandofaNegroskull:thelightcontoursarethoseofaTartarskull,intheMuseumoftheRoyalCollegeofSurgeons;andofawelldevelopedroundskullfromacemeteryinConstantinople,ofuncertainrace,inmyownpossession。
Itappears,atonce,fromtheseviews,thattheprognathousskulls,sofarastheirjawsareconcerned,doreallydifferfromtheorthognathousinmuchthesamewayas,thoughtoafarlessdegreethan,theskullsofthelowermammalsdifferfromthoseofMan。
Furthermore,theplaneoftheoccipitalforamen(’bc’)formsasomewhatsmalleranglewiththeaxisintheseparticularprognathousskullsthanintheorthognathous;andthelikemaybeslightlytrueoftheperforatedplateoftheethmoid——thoughthispointisnotsoclear。Butitissingulartoremarkthat,inanotherrespect,theprognathousskullsarelessape—likethantheorthognathous,thecerebralcavityprojectingdecidedlymorebeyondtheanteriorendoftheaxisintheprognathous,thanintheorthognathous,skulls。
Itwillbeobservedthatthesediagramsrevealanimmenserangeofvariationinthecapacityandrelativeproportiontothecranialaxis,ofthedifferentregionsofthecavitywhichcontainsthebrain,inthedifferentskulls。Noristhedifferenceintheextenttowhichthecerebraloverlapsthecerebellarcavitylesssingular。Aroundskull(Fig。29,’Const’。)mayhaveagreaterposteriorcerebralprojectionthanalongone(Fig。29,’Negro’)。
Untilhumancraniahavebeenlargelyworkedoutinamannersimilartothatheresuggested——untilitshallbeanopprobriumtoanethnologicalcollectiontopossessasingleskullwhichisnotbisectedlongitudinally——untiltheanglesandmeasurementsherementioned,togetherwithanumberofothersofwhichIcannotspeakinthisplace,aredetermined,andtabulatedwithreferencetothebasicranialaxisasunity,forlargenumbersofskullsofthedifferentracesofMankind,I
donotthinkweshallhaveanyverysafebasisforthatethnologicalcraniologywhichaspirestogivetheanatomicalcharactersofthecraniaofthedifferentRacesofMankind。
Atpresent,Ibelievethatthegeneraloutlinesofwhatmaybesafelysaiduponthatsubjectmaybesummedupinaveryfewwords。DrawalineonaglobefromtheGoldCoastinWesternAfricatothesteppesofTartary。Atthesouthernandwesternendofthatlinetherelivethemostdolichocephalic,prognathous,curly—haired,dark—skinnedofmen——thetrueNegroes。Atthenorthernandeasternendofthesamelinetherelivethemostbrachycephalic,orthognathous,straight—haired,yellow—skinnedofmen——theTartarsandCalmucks。Thetwoendsofthisimaginarylineareindeed,sotospeak,ethnologicalantipodes。Alinedrawnatrightangles,ornearlyso,tothispolarlinethroughEuropeandSouthernAsiatoHindostan,wouldgiveusasortofequator,aroundwhichround—headed,oval—headed,andoblong—headed,prognathousandorthognathous,fairanddarkraces——butnonepossessingtheexcessivelymarkedcharactersofCalmuckorNegro——groupthemselves。
FIG。29。——Sectionsoforthognathous(lightcontour)andprognathous(darkcontour)skulls,one—thirdofthenaturalsize。’ab’,Basicranialaxis;’bc,b1c1’,planeoftheoccipitalforamen;’dd1’,hinderendofthepalatinebone;’ee1’,frontendoftheupperjaw;’TT1’,insertionofthetentorium。
Itisworthyofnoticethattheregionsoftheantipodalracesareantipodalinclimate,thegreatestcontrasttheworldaffords,perhaps,beingthatbetweenthedamp,hot,steaming,alluvialcoastplainsoftheWestCoastofAfricaandthearid,elevatedsteppesandplateauxofCentralAsia,bitterlycoldinwinter,andasfarfromtheseaasanypartoftheworldcanbe。
FromCentralAsiaeastwardtothePacificIslandsandsubcontinentsontheonehand,andtoAmericaontheother,brachycephalyandorthognathismgraduallydiminish,andarereplacedbydolichocephalyandprognathism,less,however,ontheAmericanContinent(throughoutthewholelengthofwhicharoundedtypeofskullprevailslargely,butnotexclusively)*thaninthePacificregion,where,atlength,ontheAustralianContinentandintheadjacentislands,theoblongskull,theprojectingjaws,andthedarkskinreappear;withsomuchdeparture,inotherrespects,fromtheNegrotype,thatethnologistsassigntothesepeoplethespecialtitleof’Negritoes。’
[footnote]*SeeDr。D。Wilson’svaluablepaper\"OnthesupposedprevalenceofoneCranialTypethroughouttheAmericanaborigines。\"——’CanadianJournal’,vol。ii。,1857。
TheAustralianskullisremarkableforitsnarrownessandforthethicknessofitswalls,especiallyintheregionofthesupraciliaryridge,whichisfrequently,thoughnotbyanymeansinvariably,solidthroughout,thefrontalsinusesremainingundeveloped。Thenasaldepression,again,isextremelysudden,sothatthebrowsoverhangandgivethecountenanceaparticularlylowering,threateningexpression。
Theoccipitalregionoftheskull,also,notunfrequentlybecomeslessprominent;sothatitnotonlyfailstoprojectbeyondalinedrawnperpendiculartothehinderextremityoftheglabello—occipitalline,buteven,insomecases,beginstoshelveawayfromit,forwards,almostimmediately。Inconsequenceofthiscircumstance,thepartsoftheoccipitalbonewhichlieaboveandbelowthetuberositymakeamuchmoreacuteanglewithoneanotherthanisusual,wherebythehinderpartofthebaseoftheskullappearsobliquelytruncated。ManyAustralianskullshaveaconsiderableheight,quiteequaltothatoftheaverageofanyotherrace,butthereareothersinwhichthecranialroofbecomesremarkablydepressed,theskull,atthesametime,elongatingsomuchthat,probably,itscapacityisnotdiminished。Themajorityofskullspossessingthesecharacters,whichIhaveseen,arefromtheneighbourhoodofPortAdelaideinSouthAustralia,andhavebeenusedbythenativesaswatervessels;towhichendthefacehasbeenknockedaway,andastringpassedthroughthevacuityandtheoccipitalforamen,sothattheskullwassuspendedbythegreaterpartofitsbasis。
FIG。30。——AnAustralianskullfromWesternPort,intheMuseumoftheRoyalCollegeofSurgeons,withthecontouroftheNeanderthalskull。
Bothreducedtoone—thirdthenaturalsize。
Figure30representsthecontourofaskullofthiskindfromWesternPort,withthejawattached,andoftheNeanderthalskull,bothreducedtoone—thirdofthesizeofnature。Asmalladditionalamountofflatteningandlengthening,withacorrespondingincreaseofthesupraciliaryridge,wouldconverttheAustralianbraincaseintoaformidenticalwiththatoftheaberrantfossil。
Andnow,toreturntothefossilskulls,andtotherankwhichtheyoccupyamong,orbeyond,theseexistingvarietiesofcranialconformation。Inthefirstplace,Imustremark,that,asProfessorSchmerlingwellobserved(’supra’,p。300)incommentingupontheEngisskull,theformationofasafejudgmentuponthequestionisgreatlyhinderedbytheabsenceofthejawsfromboththecrania,sothatthereisnomeansofdecidingwithcertainty,whethertheyweremoreorlessprognathousthanthelowerexistingracesofmankind。Andyet,aswehaveseen,itismoreinthisrespectthananyother,thathumanskullsvary,towardsandfrom,thebrutaltype——thebraincaseofanaveragedolichocephalicEuropeandifferingfarlessfromthatofaNegro,forexample,thanhisjawsdo。Intheabsenceofthejaws,then,anyjudgmentontherelationsofthefossilskullstorecentRacesmustbeacceptedwithacertainreservation。
Buttakingtheevidenceasitstands,andturningfirsttotheEngisskull,IconfessIcanfindnocharacterintheremainsofthatcraniumwhich,ifitwerearecentskull,wouldgiveanytrustworthyclueastotheRacetowhichitmightappertain。ItscontoursandmeasurementsagreeverywellwiththoseofsomeAustralianskullswhichIhaveexamined——andespeciallyhasitatendencytowardsthatoccipitalflattening,tothegreatextentofwhich,insomeAustralianskulls,I
havealluded。ButallAustralianskullsdonotpresentthisflattening,andthesupraciliaryridgeoftheEngisskullisquiteunlikethatofthetypicalAustralians。
Ontheotherhand,itsmeasurementsagreeequallywellwiththoseofsomeEuropeanskulls。Andassuredly,thereisnomarkofdegradationaboutanypartofitsstructure。Itis,infact,afairaveragehumanskull,whichmighthavebelongedtoaphilosopher,ormighthavecontainedthethoughtlessbrainsofasavage。
ThecaseoftheNeanderthalskullisverydifferent。Underwhateveraspectweviewthiscranium,whetherweregarditsverticaldepression,theenormousthicknessofitssupraciliaryridges,itsslopedocciput,oritslongandstraightsquamosalsuture,wemeetwithape—likecharacters,stampingitasthemostpithecoidofhumancraniayetdiscovered。ButProfessorSchaaffhausenstates(’supra’,p。308),thatthecranium,initspresentcondition,holds1033。24cubiccentimetresofwater,orabout63cubicinches,andastheentireskullcouldhardlyhaveheldlessthananadditional12cubicinches,itscapacitymaybeestimatedatabout75cubicinches,whichistheaveragecapacitygivenbyMortonforPolynesianandHottentotskulls。
Solargeamassofbrainasthis,wouldalonesuggestthatthepithecoidtendencies,indicatedbythisskull,didnotextenddeepintotheorganization;andthisconclusionisborneoutbythedimensionsoftheotherbonesoftheskeletongivenbyProfessorSchaaffhausen,whichshowthattheabsoluteheightandrelativeproportionsofthelimbswerequitethoseofanEuropeanofmiddlestature。Thebonesareindeedstouter,butthisandthegreatdevelopmentofthemuscularridgesnotedbyDr。Schaaffhausen,arecharacterstobeexpectedinsavages。ThePatagonians,exposedwithoutshelterorprotectiontoaclimatepossiblynotverydissimilarfromthatofEuropeatthetimeduringwhichtheNeanderthalmanlived,areremarkableforthestoutnessoftheirlimbbones。
FIG。31。——AncientDanishskullfromatumulusatBorreby:one—thirdofthenaturalsize。FromacameralucidadrawingbyMr。Busk。
Innosense,then,cantheNeanderthalbonesberegardedastheremainsofahumanbeingintermediatebetweenMenandApes。Atmost,theydemonstratetheexistenceofamanwhoseskullmaybesaidtorevertsomewhattowardsthepithecoidtype——justasaCarrier,oraPouter,oraTumbler,maysometimesputontheplumageofitsprimitivestock,the’Columbalivia’。Andindeed,thoughtrulythemostpithecoidofknownhumanskulls,theNeanderthalcraniumisbynomeanssoisolatedasitappearstobeatfirst,butforms,inreality,theextremetermofaseriesleadinggraduallyfromittothehighestandbestdevelopedofhumancrania。Ontheonehand,itiscloselyapproachedbytheflattenedAustralianskulls,ofwhichIhavespoken,fromwhichotherAustralianformsleadusgraduallyuptoskullshavingverymuchthetypeoftheEngiscranium。And,ontheotherhand,itisevenmorecloselyaffinedtotheskullsofcertainancientpeoplewhoinhabitedDenmarkduringthe’stoneperiod,’andwereprobablyeithercontemporaneouswith,orlaterthan,themakersofthe’refuseheaps,’
or’Kjokkenmoddings’ofthatcountry。
ThecorrespondencebetweenthelongitudinalcontouroftheNeanderthalskullandthatofsomeofthoseskullsfromthetumuliatBorreby,veryaccuratedrawingsofwhichhavebeenmadebyMr。Busk,isveryclose。
Theocciputisquiteasretreating,thesupraciliaryridgesarenearlyasprominent,andtheskullisaslow。Furthermore,theBorrebyskullresemblestheNeanderthalformmorecloselythananyoftheAustralianskullsdo,bythemuchmorerapidretrocessionoftheforehead。Ontheotherhand,theBorrebyskullsareallsomewhatbroader,inproportiontotheirlength,thantheNeanderthalskull,whilesomeattainthatproportionofbreadthtolength(80:100)whichconstitutesbrachycephaly。
Inconclusion,Imaysay,thatthefossilremainsofManhithertodiscovereddonotseemtometotakeusappreciablynearertothatlowerpithecoidform,bythemodificationofwhichhehas,probably,becomewhatheis。Andconsideringwhatisnowknownofthemostancientracesofmen;seeingthattheyfashionedflintaxesandflintknivesandbone—skewers,ofmuchthesamepatternasthosefabricatedbythelowestsavagesatthepresentday,andthatwehaveeveryreasontobelievethehabitsandmodesoflivingofsuchpeopletohaveremainedthesamefromthetimeoftheMammothandthetichorhineRhinocerostillnow,Idonotknowthatthisresultisotherthanmightbeexpected。
Where,then,mustwelookforprimaevalMan?Wastheoldest’Homosapiens’plioceneormiocene,oryetmoreancient?InstillolderstratadothefossilizedbonesofanApemoreanthropoid,oraManmorepithecoid,thananyyetknownawaittheresearchesofsomeunbornpaleontologist?
Timewillshow。But,inthemeanwhile,ifanyformofthedoctrineofprogressivedevelopmentiscorrect,wemustextendbylongepochsthemostliberalestimatethathasyetbeenmadeoftheantiquityofMan。