—The skull is the bony framework of the head. The cranium is the name applied when we do not consider the mandible (the lower jaw).
The skull is oval in shape, wider behind than in front, and is supported on the summit of the vertebral column.
The skull is composed of twenty-two bones and is divided as the following diagram will show:
Fig. 14—The Skull.
| Cranium | Occipital | |
| Two parietal | ||
| Frontal | ||
| Skull | Two temporal | |
| Sphenoid | ||
| Ethmoid | ||
| Two inferior turbinate | ||
| Two nasal | ||
| Two superior maxillary | ||
| Face | Two lachrymal | |
| Two malar | ||
| Two palate | ||
| Inferior maxillary | ||
| Vomer |
The Bones of the Cranium.
—Occipital Bone.—The occipital bone is situated at the back part and base of the cranium.
Frontal Bone.—The frontal bone is situated at the anterior part of the cranium, and forms the forehead.