Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-09
CHARACTERISTICS OF CRIMINALS.
Natural Peeuliarlties of European
Murderer's and Thieves.

Natural PeeuliarIties of European
Murderer's and Thieves.
New York Telegram
Recently in France considerable att
tention has been paidsto an exaNina
tien of the criminal class with refer
encs to its physical and associated
characteristics NJ Lacassague has
drawn attention to the frequency of
tattooing among criminals and the
violent nature of the scenes depicted
by them in this voluntary mutilation.
The same writer mas pointed out that
criminals, as class, are tall. Thus
in eight hundred subjects examined
| by HIM 62S were taller by six cent?
exceed the normal height by ten and
twenty centimeters. These ooserva-
tons were corrobnra,ed by Nj. Ferri;
in Italy.
Ia 1882 DIR. Manouvrier remarked
that among criminals, VIGOROUSLY
with murderers, the jaw is more de
veloped than is usual; and that while
the cranio mandibular index normally
varies between 1913 and Is, among
the convicts it attains the remarkable
number of 14.7. NM. Hager and Dali
magne, in comparative study of the
skulls of assassians and ordinary per-
sns, have confirmed the statement
that the forward projection of the
skull is greater among the former.
They have also shown that criminals
have larger facial index and small
er vertical index than the peaceable
citizens, but no difference is observed
in the cephalic index. NJ. Hager has
affirmed the larger capacity of the
criminal skull over that Of the ususl
type, the relative proportions being
as 1, 53S is to 1,490. This however,
has been contradicted by number
OF observers who claim the reverse,
but it is suggested that it may be ex-
planned by supPosing that the former
examined the crania of murderers
only, while in the latter studies those
of all classes were included, among the
incendiaries arc said TO have small
heads. Mr.. Flesch has said that affec.
tons of the heart exists among crim>
inals to the extent of twenty per cent;
the persistence of Botafs orifice, ten
per cent; contradiction of the vaScu~
lar system, & per cent But his re
searches upon cerebal LESSONS are much
more important.
He has demonstrated certain alta
vism in the cerebal commissions all
ready Indicated by Benedict, as, for
instance, the medium lobe Of the brain
being shaped as among the mammals
the separation of the eulcarian assure
from the occipital, the opening of the
assure of Sylvius, and-t the formation
Of an operculum OF the cccipital lobe.
Histology has also detected certain
anomalies in the brain OF those crlm>
mails whose autopsy has been made.
Thus Spika has found the piementa
ton of the nucleum of the tenth, sew
enth, and fifth pairs in murderers
brain also Golgi and March, have
detected the Fermentation of the nsr,,
vous cells in..the brain of convic The
school of criminal authropology in
italy has also made important contri-
buttons to this list of facts.
M. Mano has examined the hands
of criminals, and he has disc svered
among individuals convicted for murs
der, among those guilty OF intl;ctlng
Wounds, a great preponderance of
large and short hands; while with
thieves the frequency of long and mar
row hands is less considerable AS to
the question of tattooing he hnds that
the larger number of tattooed persons
is among the assassins and the as
sailants.
M. Lcmbraso together with NJ. Mas
no, has studied crimlnality .m Dug ms
fants. They examined $50 infants,
and especially 100 from the houses of
refuge. They found that the Grimm
al type could be recognized at that age
associated with bad tendencies, in the
proportion of Z 4 percent. The loss of
moral sense was recognized in Al per
cent. aud a ve,itable propensity to
crime IN 10 per cent. Out of 80 in
fants they have observed the dlsap>
pearance of the criminal tendencies
partly through non inheritance, partly
under the beneficial influence of their
surroundings, and partly because their
criminal passions, existing at GER
tain period, disappear IN maturity.
The typical criminal paysIognomy
has been recognized am 9ng murderers
in Gem any in the proportion OF 30
per cent. among thieves to that of %
per cant. among insolvents, and in
persons convicted of bigamy to the
extent of 6 per cent. Among females
this type was found in % per cent
With ordinary men and women this
type was only found IA times among
SIS individuals, of whom were doubt
full. Tomasira, Bono, and Depaoli
have asserted the great capacity of the
orbits or eye sockets and prevalent
daltonism. NJ Bono also insists up
on the swiftness of vision among
criminals. But perhaps the most
curious observations were made upon
the different strength of the two hands,