The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-02
SKULL LORE.
Reasons Why Skulls are Great Story
Tellers to Those Who Can Interpret
Them.
From the Post-Express.

Them. ... .-..
From the tEXpress
1t is not generally known that probably
the most complete museum of human
osteology is located in Rochester, under
charge of Prof. Charles II. Wood, who
has an international reputation as an
authority on this question. "Skulls are
great story teliers," said Prof Ward.
For instance, the original of this cast
of the top of skull overturned the
theories OF half 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 pre-glacial
period, in the days of the cave bear and
other ante-glacial fossils. Not only does
the place where it was found indicate all
this, but the skull comes nearer to sup
plying the much-laughed-at missing
link than anything ever before dis
covered. There is no question whatever
that it is portion of human skull, but
the forehead is lower than that of any
normally developed skull ever found, and
the superciliary or super-orbital arch is
heavier than ever before seen on a human
skull. This is one of the most marked
points of distinction between the skulls of
a gorilla and of a man.
You can see what 1 mean from this
picture" continued Prof. Ward. 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 de-
| forming the head prevailing among the
savage races of North and South America.
1t is accomplished by pressure being
| brought to bear on the skull through in
fancy. The cliff dwellers Aattened the
| back of the head. Skulls have been found
on an island in the Gulf OF Mexico which
were divided into two lobes, evidently
produced by fastening a strap from the
| back of the neck to the forehead of the
infant. If there had been more travel in
those days, the fashion might have
spread. The fad of fattening the front
of the head evidently prevailed among
the ancient inhabitants of Peru, as the
mummy remains clearly indicate. and
this has led to belief that there is some
race connection between the ancient
Peruvians and the Flathead Indians Of
to-day
You can see the effect produced By the
process have described from this pic
Vure. We're this deformity produced on
the head of Il grown man, il would be fol-
lowed by insanity and death but the
brains of the infant gradually accommo-
date themselves TO the new conditions:
but | should Judge that it would be difi-
cult to have very highly developed IN
tellect with skull of that shape Here.
you see, is the skull of 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, or her parents did. in having
her skull ttattened up TO the latest style
Here, " said Prof. Ward, ais the skull
of a maiden Of 10 years, who, with a num-
Der 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 that2'
Simply enough. You can tell it all for
yourself, with little help. OF course
we know from the place where it was
found that il was in land where canni-
balism prevailed. Father found no less
than seven skulls, all with fracture like
this horrid one, where the victim was
struck with an ak or some similar imple-
ment. Then all have the hole knocked in
at the base of the skull, evidently with
the purpose of extracting brain, for the
human brain is considered a great rdelf-
cacy by cannibal epicures. We know
from the sharpness Of the edges of the
orbital cavity and other infallible indica-
tions that this is a woman's skull. for an
expert can always tell male from "A fe-
male skull at glance Lastly, you can
see by counting for yourself that the den
tition Of the girls skull is not complete,
and that, therefore, this is. as ! have
SAID. the skull of New Zealand maiden
of II or IS.
81 had curious instance not long ago
of the way in which an observer can find
story in skull. A 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 hos
pital. Ia polishing the skull [ found a
fine black bone which would not come out.
/ opened the skull and found that the line
was portion of the point which projected
half an inch in the skull, and which had
broken of so short that IL would have
been impossible to tell Of what the man
died unless the skull had been opened as
! opened it. Here was a murder mystery
which the law will never probe, for the
wound was mortaln