The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-12-26
THE LORE OF SKULLS
GREAT STORY TELlERS TO THOSE
WHO CAN INTERPRET THEM.

Is In Charge Of the Rochester Museum
Of Human Osteology-Ancient Fashions
Of Deforming the Head.
1t is not generally known that prob
ably the most complete museum of hui
man o~steology is located in Rochester
under charge of Professor Charles H.
Ward, who has an international repu-
tation as an authority on this question.
skulls are great story ~tellers. said
Professor Ward. For instance, the
original of this cast of the top of a
skull overturned the theories of half
of Europe. and probably its discovery
was rhe most sensational thing in the
realm of science of the decade. Before
this piece of bone, which you can hold
in Your hand. was discovered. nothing
had been found which tended to show
that human life existed in the pregla-
cial period. III the days of the cave bear
and other anteglacial fossils. Not
only does the place where it was found
indicate all this. but the skull comes
nearer to supplying thu much laughed
at missing link than anything ever
before discovered. Tn re is no question
"lIIItNFl liiul IL - q loIlIt.t Oh ii Ilu-
nan skull. hat the forehead is lower
than that of any normally developed
skull ever found. ana the superciliarv or
~superorbital arch : heavier than ever
before seerIo d human skull. This is
one Of the most In rked points Of dis
tinction between tine skulls OF a gorilla
and of Il man.
You can see what | mean from this
picture. continued Professor Ward.
The arch is that Of the eyebrow. just
W. the eye socket.
"One of the most interesting things
IN the ology of skulls is the fashion OF
reforming the head prevailing among
the savage races of North and South
America. 1t is accomplished by pres
sure brought to bean on the skull
through infancy. The cliff jewellers
hattaned the back of the head. Skulls
have been found on an island in the
quit Of Mexico which We're divided III
TO two lobes, evidently produced Ly fa.-
tenlng IL strap from. the back Of The
neck to the forehead If the infant, II
there had hen NOR tfavel II th.
days. the fashion might have spread
The fad OF tiartenlH- the front at thu
head evidently prevailed alnUrg tnr
ancient lnilabitant, al Peru. - she
mummy remains clearly ilIicata. alt!
this has led to Il aii,f thai there l.
soine race connection between ths ia
cient Perayians and the Flatileul iii
dians of today.
You can see the effect V~1odnced hy
the process | have described trom Thu
picture. Were this deformity produce.
on the head of a glown man. il wouid
be followed by insanity aud death. tnt
the brains Of the infant gradually ac.
~comlnodate themselves to the new COLI
d~itions, should Judge. however, that il
would be difficult t. have "A very highly
developed intellect with a skull Of that
shape. Here. you see. Is the skull OF
a Peruvian lady of high rank. We
know that this was some Inca queen by
the poulp with which she was buried.
She paid the usual tribute to fashion,
or her parents did. III having her skull
fiattened up to the latest style.
Here. said Professor Ward. is
the skull Of IA maiden Of IS years, who,
with ii number of her companions, was
i'm III II il'd'a WIN all IA IN
was eaten Oh an island III New Zealand
several centuries ago at a great feast. "
For goodness sake, how could YOU
find ont all that
Simply enough. You can tell it
all for yourself. with a little help. OF
course we know from the place where it
was found that II was in a land where
cannlbalism prevailed. Father found
no less thar seven skulls, all with a
fracture like this horrid one, where the
victim was struck with an ak or some
similar implement. Then all have the
mole knocked in at the base of the skull,
evidently with the purpose of extract
ing the brain, for the human brain is
considered a great delicacy 10y cannibal
eplcures. We know from the sharpness
of the edges of the orbital cavity and
other intaliible indications that this is
a woman skull, for an expert can al
ways tell a male from "A female skull al
a glance. Lastly. you can see by
counting for yourself that the dentition
of this girls skull is not complete, and
that therefore this is. as | nave said.
the skull of a New Zealand maiden OF
II or Is.
i had a curious instance not long
ago of the way in which IN observer
a find a story in a skull. 4 skeleton
was sent me from a hospital in Vienna
to be mounted. The skull had not
been opened. The man had been taken
i'll on the street suddenly and had
been taken to the hospital. In polish
ing the skull ] found a fine black line
which would not come out. | opened
the skull aud found that the line was ii
portion of the point of a blade which pro
jected half an inch i'll the skull, and
which had broken off 81 shor that II
would have been impossible to tell Of
what the ma died unless the skull had
been opened d. / opened II. Here wasa
murder mystery which the law Will
meyer probe. fnr the wound was NOR