The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-09-19

and America have been giving a good
deal of attention to the conformation and
measurement of the human head or era
niometry, as they call it.
The studies of DR.. Frederick Peterson.
the insanity expert and specialist in nerv-
Gus diseases, of New York, have been
equally extensive Their conclusions have
been reached by accurate measurements
and not by feeling bumps DR.. Peterson
said to me:
THE FRONTAL LoBEs.
"In men noted for great attachments
and intellectual capacity all the diane
tiers and arcs of the skull are far above
the normal averages. In other words.
their heads are larger. In many criminals
the diameters and arcs are below the nor
NAL average, and there is also great alb
normality in shape, especially in heredi-
tary criminals. One side of the head NAV
be larger than the other, the forehead
may retreat, or there may be some other
lack of symmetry and proportion. Often
the teeth, jaws and ears are deformed.
All the higher mental faculties are loca-
ted in the frontal lobes of the brain, and
these naturally have direct proportion
to the length and breadth of the fore
head. Just back of this region are the
muscular centers and the centers for cuta-
neous sensation
Directly behind the ears and a little
above are the centers for remembering
that which is heard, and here are un-
doubtedly located some of the muscular
faculties, for instance, the wonderful
memory of musical compositions, such
as was possessed by blind Tom" The
memory of everything seen is stored
away In the posterior lobes of the brain:
therefore people of great perceptiye
power and who remember well all their
perceptions will be found to have large
development on the back of the head.
1t has been noted that in people born
blind this part of the head is smaller
than it should be. In contradistinction
to quack phrenology the perceptive
power is located here in place of Calls
philoprogenitiyeness and bump of anna
tiveness- Gall located the perceptive
power Immediately over the eye, behind
which is cavity in the bone containing
no brain.
1.-The average circumference of an
adult mans skull is 204 inches and of
an adult woman's 1919 inches. The aver
age length OF the arc from the roof of
the nose over the top of the head to the
most prominent point on the back of the
head is in man 12s inches and in the wo-
man 124. The average length of the arc
from one ear to the other over the high
est part of the head is in a man 12s
inches and in woman 12l. The aver
age antero-posterior diameter, that is
from the middle of the forehead in a
straight line to the hindmost part of the
head, is in a man inches and in a wo-
man Ct. The average diameter through
the widest part of a mans head, from
side to side in straight line, is 81 inches,
and of woman's head 81 inches. These
are only few of the more important
measurements taken.
81 never made less than seventeen
measurements and three drawings of
each head. But in the most careful
studies sometimes from 80 to 100 sepa-
rate arcs and diameters are measured
1t will be seen that the head of a woman
is on an average smaller than that of a
man, just as her brain weighs several
ounces less. While it may be taken as a
general rule that head of large dimen-
sions is associated with unusual capa-
city in some one or other direction, it is,
of course, not always the case. One can
easily imagine. or may even have met
with persons with large heads who
seemed to enjoy considerable emancjpa-
ton from the bonds of intellect; and one
can readily conceive of mucn of their
brain substance being replaced by more
ordinary tissues or substances required
to prevent the formation of vacuum.
PACKING OF THE BRAIN.
1.-The skull bones may be twice as
thick as usual, or there may be an un-
usual amount of fluid In the cavities of
the brain and its coverings. Again, a
person with a rather small head may
have mere thinking centers TO the cubic
/ iusk.r7s, ssrain than the other; less fat, less
water. less secking Of every kind, as in
the case of Gambeta, WHOSE brain pF9s
rather small The 1ofd packing is al
excellent one to use in this connection
for it describes the condition perfectly
Just as delicate china or glass vessels arr
packed away in sawdust, hay, etc., fol
shipping, so the fragile cells containing
memories and thoughts are packed away
in an enormous quantity of substance
known as connective tissue, which diff
fers relatively little from hay and saw
dust In structure as seen under the mi
croscope. and which serves an equally
efficient purpose. Hence an idiot is oc
casionally, though indeed rarely, seer
with an unusually large head; but In the
packing of his Uranium valuable struct
ures were left out by the thoughtless
workmen, and only the hay and sawdus
slowed away.
up to the age of % the development
of a mans skull depends on his educa
ton. and, in fact, his entire environment
Subsequently the mind may develop {
great deal. but the skull viii not. From
the age of % the skull retains the sam'
proportion and the same dimensions, ana
it is on this account that certain measure
neufs of the head become useful as 1
means of identification of adults. The,
may change their appearance IN man,
respects. but cannot voluntarily alter tn
shapes of their heads. III. Bertillon ha
incorporated, therefore, certain skull di
ameters in his system of Identification o
criminals, now much employed u
France, but as yet little in this country.