the scaphocephalic. The most marked examples of scaphocephalus seem to be those which are met with in Europeans, in whom the frontal lobes of the brain are largely developed, and produce perhaps by their displacement, and by the needful compensatory growth, that prominence of the frontal region which is so marked a FIG. 1. Scaphocephalic Skull of a Woman.* feature in many of these cases. In the Negro, in whom the cerebral development, especially of the anterior lobes, is of a lower type, the more marked features of true scaphocephalus are more rarely seen, even when the synostosis may be presumed to have been congenital. The abnormal scaphoid skulls of the African races, as compared with those of Europeans, may be termed sub-scaphocephalic. They seem to fall very much under the definition of what is termed by Welcker, synostotic dolichocephalism.† This less For the sake of comparison with the Sub-scaphocephalic and Klinocephalic forms of Synostosis, more particularly treated of in this paper, I have, with the approval of Dr. W. Turner, repeated from his memoir the figures of two decided scaphocephalous crania. Fig. 1 is the profile of a skull, No. 27 of the Museum of the College of Surgeons, Edinburgh; Fig. 2 is the vertical view of a skull-cap, No. 117 of the University Museum; which last is remarkable for the large "beak" of its biparietal, and for the breadth of the frontal, which is greater than usual in scaphocephalus. "Dolichocephali ex synostosi sagittali," (Wachsthum und Bau, p. 15, 53). marked sub-scaphoid form is likewise not uncommon in the higher races, though in them it may be supposed usually to originate after FIG 2. Vertical View of the Scaphocephalic Skull of a Man. birth, and not during intra-uterine life. A pathological abnormal form of skull, of less frequent occurrence, but which likewise appears to depend on fusion of the parietals during the foetal state, or the earliest period of independent life, is the saddle-shaped skull, or klinocephalus. According to Virchow, this deformity usually arises from ossification of the spheno-parietal sutures. In some cases, however, klinocephalism, combined with prominence of the supra occipital, is developed in skulls in which the spheno-parietal sutures are open, but in which the sagittal is entirely obliterated.* This is the case in the remarkable skull of a Gentoo child, in the Museum of the College of Surgeons (No. 5556).† It may be suggested that "There are also intermediate forms between marked scaphocephalus, and the more ordinary forms of dolichocephalus synostoticus, which may owe their rise to a fusion of the sagittal suture in the later foetal period, and in earliest childhood."Zwei seltnere Difform. 1863, p. 7. * Virchow, after defining the cause of klinocephalus, tells us that "in an example in his collection, the fusion of the spheno-parietal sutures is combined with synostosis of the parietal bones, so that a prominence of the occipital scale is added to the usual deformities of klinocephalism."-Ges. Abhandl. p. 900. In the Museum of Anatomy, at Cambridge, is the skull of a Negro of Guinea, aged about 20 years, in which the same combination of klinocephalism with synostosis of the parietals is seen. I am able to say positively, that the spheno-parietal sutures are quite open, and that the sutures in general, with the exception of the sagittal and apex of the lambdoid, are quite as distinct as usual, perhaps rather more so. In this skull, as in that of the Gentoo, both the parietal foramina are well marked. The brachycephalous proportions of the former, (86) the klinoid form of this skull, which, according to the ordinary view, ought rather to have been scaphoid, may depend upon the activity of the growth of the middle lobes of the brain, in the direction outwards, or of the parietal tubers; whilst in scaphocephalus, the compensatory cerebral growth is forwards and backwards, in the axis of the anterior and posterior lobes. This view is confirmed by observing that in many cases of the second, or subscaphoid form of synostotic dolichocephalus, there is a considerable saddle-shaped contraction in the coronal and temporal regions; though not enough to constitute klinocephalus, as usually understood. In this way, a sort of gradation is to be noted between scaphocephalus and klinocephalus, depending on synostosis of the parietals. In both the cases of the first of these deformities in ancient British skulls from Long Barrows, which are figured and described in this paper, a certain tendency to klinocephalism is to be observed. FIG. 3. Vertical view of the Klinocephalic Skull of a Gentoo child.- In the Table of Measurements appended hereto, I give all the examples of abnormal synostosis of the parietals which I have had are no doubt due to the synostosis of the apex of the occipital with the biparietal. A tendency to klinocephalism is especially observable in the skulls of Kanakas, when affected by synostosis of the parietals. In the large series of about 135 Kanaka skulls in the Barnard-Davis collection, there are six instances of this form of synostosis, only one of which is sub-scaphocephalous, whilst in the others a greater or less degree of saddle-shaped contraction, and in one complete klinocephalism, is to be observed. Measurements of these skulls are given in the Table. With other synostotic skulls in this rich collection they are described by Dr. Davis in a memoir now being printed in the Transactions of the Society of Sciences of Haarlem. My attention was more especially drawn to this subject by the opportunity afforded me of perusing part of this memoir whilst in manuscript more than two years ago. N.H.R.-1865. S the opportunity of examining; classed as accurately as may be, under the three heads of, I. SCAPHOCEPHALI; II. SUB-SCAPHOCEPHALI; and III. KLINOCEPHALI. As is well known, the African peoples are naturally dolichocephalic. In them also the bones are of remarkable density, and a great disposition to exuberant and redundant ossification is observed in them. Of all peoples, I believe abnormal obliteration of the sagittal suture with complete synostosis of the parietals is most frequent among them. Out of twenty-four cases of complete synostosis of the parietals, which I had measured when this paper was read, seven are instances of scaphocephalus; but in the others the cranial form, though elongate, does not present that flattening of the sides, prominence of the frontal and of the supra-occipital, or that fully scaphoid or keel-shaped form of the biparietal, which are necessary to the idea of scaphocephalus properly so called; different degrees of which however are to be observed. Of the whole number of twentyfour skulls, as many as twelve are of Africans; one of these, that of a negro of Mozambique, being truely scaphocephalic.* The frequency *Of the twenty-four skulls here referred to, twelve are in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, London; two in that of Guy's Hospital; four at Oxford; three at Netley; one at Haslar; one at Bristol; and one at Salisbury. I have not altered these numbers, nor the passage in the text with which they are connected. Since the paper was read, however, I have added to the Table of Measurements of Skulls with Synostotic Parietals, many further examples. Especially, must be noticed those in the rich collection of Dr. J. B. Davis, who has obliged me with access to their measurements in his Catalogue, as yet in manuscript. It appeared also expedient to embrace in the table, measurements of the six scaphocephalic skulls given by Professor Welcker in his latest memoir on this subject (Zwei seltn. Difform.); and likewise those of others given by Dr. W. Turner in his paper already referred to; the former being from the museums of Germany, the latter from those of Edinburgh. Dr. Turner has obliged me with some additional measurements; and I am also indebted to Dr. H. Minchin, of Dublin, for measurements of the two skulls described by him in the memoir by which in this country attention was first drawn to this kind of cranial malformation. With a few exceptions, for which I am indebted to friends, the rest of the measurements are by myself. In the division II. SUB-SCAPHOCEPHALI, a few of the skulls are not strictly entitled to this designation. In these, the relative length is simply more or less increased, and no distinctly scaphoid tendency is scen. These synostotic dolichocephali pass by such insensible gradations into the subscaphoid form, that unless the whole could have been brought together for minute comparison, their separation into two sub-classes could not have been satisfactorily carried out. To some extent, though with no certainty or precision, the table may indicate the liability of different races to this form of synostosis. The cases in Europeans have no doubt been selected for preservation, in consequence of their abnormal form; but as regards those of other races there has probably been little or no selection. of synostotic parietals in Africans is very remarkable, and few collections are without one or more examples. In passing, for another purpose, through the Gallery of Anthropology (Salle Cuvier), in the Museum of Natural History of Paris, my eye was attracted by a series of skulls of Hottentots, five or six in number, one of which I found presented no trace whatever of a sagittal suture. Adjoining these, was another small series of skulls of Namaquas, one of which presented the same form of synostosis. In the series of twenty skulls brought from Kilwa in East Africa by Captain Burton, now in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, three exhibit obliteration of the sagittal, one of them (No. 5378 P) in a most complete form.* In a series of twelve Dahoman skulls from West Africa, recently added to the collection of Dr. Barnard Davis, two have the sagittal suture completely obliterated and the form elongate-67, 69. The former (No. 1229) is that of a man, the other (No. 1234) that of a woman, each of about 30 years of age. The most remarkable instance, however, is that afforded by the capture of two schooners, laden with about 100 slaves from Cape Lopez, Congo, on the west coast; who were carried to Fernando Po, where several of them died. Four were examined after death, and in each instance, "the sagittal suture was wanting;"-the conclusion adopted by the navy surgeons, Mr. Ballard and Mr. Wallace, being "that in this race of blacks such is the usual cranial conformation.” A different view was taken by the late Dr. Graves, who regarded "the obliteration of the sagittal suture as a mere accidental variety;" and by Dr. Prichard, who added his belief, "that the want of this suture is not characteristic of any particular race."+ Our additional knowledge of this subject appears to justify some modification in the They are the skulls numbered 5378 P, S, and U. The first, that of a man, is a good example of synostotic dolichocephalus or of the subscaphoid skull. The second is that of a girl of about seven years, and is important, as showing the order in which the different portions of the sagittal undergo infantile obliteration. This would seem to have commenced in the 4th, or inter-foraminal division of Welcker, and to have extended on the one hand to the 5th, and on the other to the 3rd, and so to the 2nd. The 1st, or coronal division, with a small part of the 2nd, remains open. In the skull U, that of a man aged about 35, the anterior division likewise remains open. I am informed by Captain Burton, that the whole of these skulls are those of persons who died of cholera, chiefly slaves of the Wahiou tribe,-somewhat Semiticized Africans. On the Supposed Want of the Sagittal Suture in Certain Tribes of Negroes. Studies in Physiology and Medicine, 1863, p. 344. Med. Chir. Review, 1836, N.S. No. 49, p. 285. One of the skulls is in the Museum at Haslar Hospital, where I have had the opportunity of measuring it. |