Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-11-30
THE LORE OF SKULLS
GREAT STORY TELLERS TO THOSE
WHO CAN INTERPRET THEM.

Chat With a Professor of Skull-ology Who
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 hu-
man osteology is located in Rochester
under charge of Professor Charles 81.
Ward. who has an international repu-
tation as an authority on this question.
t'Skulls are great story tellers. said
Professor Ward. For instance, the
original of this cast of the top of
skull overturned the theories of half
of Europe. and probably its discovery
was the 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. in 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 the much laughed
at missing link than anything ever
before discovered. There is no question
whatever that it is portion OF hu-
man skull but the forehead is lower
than that of any normally developed
skull ever found, and the superciliary or
superorbital arch is heavier than ever
before seen ON human skull. This is
one of the most marked points of dis
tinction between the skulls of gorilla
and of a man.
You can see what mean from this
picture" continued Professor Ward.
1.-The arch is that of the eyebrow, just
over the eye socket.
lone of the most interesting things
in the ology of skulls is the fashion Of
deforming the head prevailing among
the savage races of North and South
America. 1t is accomplished by pres
sure brought to bear on the skull
through infancy. The cliff dwellers
hattened the back of the head. Skulls
have been found on an island in the
gulf of Mexico which were divided in
to two lobes, evidently produced by fas-
tening a strap from the back of the
neck to the forehead of the infant. Ii
there had been more travel in those
DAYS, the fashion might have spread.
The fad of fiattening the front of the
head evidently prevailed among the
ancient inhabitants of Peru, as the
mummy remains clearly indicate, and
this has led to a belief that there is
some race connection between the an
cient Peruvians and the Flathead In
dians of today.
"You can see the effect produced by
the process l have described from this
picture. We're this deformity produced
on the head of grown man, it would
be followed by insanity and death, but
the brains of the infant gradually ac-
commodate themselves to the new con-
ditions, should judge, however, that it
would be difficult to have very highly
developed intellect with skull of that
shape. Here, you see, is the skull of
q Peruvian lady of high rank. We
know that this was some Inca queen by
the pomp with which she was buried.
She paid the usual tribute to fashion,
0T uST uiu, III having hOA oANAA
fattened up to the latest style.
Here said Professor Ward, lis
the skull of maiden of IS years, who,
with number of her companions, was
knocked in the head with an ak and
was eaten on an island in New Zealand
several centuries ago at great feast.
For goodness sake, how could you
find out all that?"
'Simply enough. You can tell it
| all for yourself. with little help. Of
course we know from the place where it
was found that it was in land where
cannibalism prevailed. Father found
no less than seven skulls, all with a
fracture like this horrid one, where tie
victim was struck with an ak or some
similar implement. Then all have tie
| hole knocked in at the base of the skull,
evidently with the purpose of extract
| ing the brain, for the human brain is
considered great delicacy by cannib;.l |
epicures. We know from the sharpness
! of the edges of the orbital cavity III
other infallible indications that this is
a woman's skull, for an expert can al
| ways tell male from female skull at
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 l have said,
the skull of a New Zealand maiden Of
II or 18.
II had a curious instance not long
ago of the way in which an observer
can find a story in a skull. A skeleton
was sent me from hospital in Vienna
to be mounted. The skull had not
been opened. The man had been taken
Ill on the street suddenly and had
been taken to the hospital. In polish
ing the skull found fine black line
which would not come out. l opened
the skull and found that the line was a
portion of the point of blade which pro-
jected half an inch in the skull, and
which had broken off so short that 1t
would have been impossible to tell OF
what the man died unless the skull had
been opened as opened it. Here was 9
murder mystery which the law will
never probe, for the wound was NOR
tai. "-Rochester Post-Express.