Catalogue No.CollectorLocalityDe­for­ma­tionVaultCranial
index
Mean
height
Index
Height-breadth indexBasion-nasionBasion-nasion
diameter
vs.
length
of skull
LengthBreadthHeight
U.S.N.M.
332563A. HrdličkaPastolik16.413.179.9
332566dodo15.61382.8
332564dodo16.613.81283.179878.450.6
339037Collins and StewartTogiak16.513.412.281.281.6919.255.8
339087doNelson Island16.113.512.883.886.594.89.257.1
339088dodo16.213.611.68477.985.37.848.1
339056doMumtrak16.313.812.884.78592.78.954.6
339063dodo15.71412.289.282.287.18.654.8
339113doHooper Bay16.213.885.2
(9)(9)(6)(9)(6)(6)(6)(6)
Total144.612273.652.1
Average16.0713.5612.2784.482.589.68.6854
SOUTHWESTERN AND MIDWESTERN ESKIMO
339172H. B. Collins, jr., and T. D. StewartNunivak Island16.912.61274.681.495.29.153.8
339153dodo17.413.412.47780.592.59.252.9
339198dodo16.612.812.777.186.499.28.651.8
339222H. B. Collins, jr., and T. D. Stewart.Nunivak Island16.813.412.279.880.891953.6
339197dodo1713.612.4808191.29.153.5
339199dodo16.113.382.6
339152dodo1714.512.685.38086.98.751.2
(7)(7)(6)(7)(6)(6)(6)(6)
Total117.893.674.353.7
Average16.8313.3712.3879.581.692.58.9552.8
279569R. D. MooreSt. Lawrence Island17.613.412.276.178.7919.352.8
279568dodo17.113.212.877.284.5979.354.4
279495dodo16.813.112.67884.396.29.154.2
279479dodo16.813.212.878.685.397953.6
279462dodo16.21312.880.387.798.59.256.8
279421dodo16.413.412.181.781.290.38.451.2
279448dodo16.413.582.3
279591dodo14.712.484.3
279443dodo16.413.912.484.881.889.28.652.4
(9)(9)(7)(9)(7)(7)(7)(7)
Total146.4119.187.762.9
Average16.2713.2312.5381.484.194.18.9954.5
A. M. N. H.
99-4106G. ComerSouthampton Island17.413.312.876.483.496.28.850.6
4657doHudson Bay16.913.212.278.181.192.49.153.8
7690Capt. BartlettEtah, Smith Sound16.613.412.780.784.794.89.255.4

Principal Cranial Indices in Children Compared With Those in Adults

Cranial indexMean height indexHeight-breadth indexBN-skull length indexPercentage relation of dimensions of the vault in adults and children (adults = 100)
LengthBreadthHeightBasion-nasion diameter
South western and Midwestern Eskimo[160]Children84.482.589.65490.196.793.286.5
Adults (both sexes)79.382.39356
Nunivak IslandChildren79.581.692.552.891.796.492.387.1
Adults (both sexes)75.683.396.756
St. Lawrence IslandChildren81.484.194.154.590.295.293.288.6
Adults (both sexes)77.384.196.556.2
AllChildren81.882.792.153.890.896.192.987.4
Adults77.483.295.456.1

The main interest centers in the comparison of the relative proportions of these skulls with those of the adults from the same localities. These comparisons, given in the smaller table, are of considerable interest.

The cranial index is considerably higher in the children. On analysis this is found to be due almost wholly to a greater relative breadth of the child's skull. During later growth the Eskimo cranium advances materially more in length than in breadth. A further expansion in breadth is evidently hindered by some factor outside of the bones themselves, for nothing appears in these that could constitute such a hindrance. And the only evident outside factor capable of producing such an effect are the strong pads of the temporal muscles.

The mean height index H×100
mean of L+B remains much the same in the children and adults, indicating that the relative increase during growth in skull length compensates for the lagging increase in breadth, while the proportion of the height to the mean of the length and breadth remains fairly stable.

The much greater growth in length than in breadth of the Eskimo skull from childhood onward is shown even better in the second part of the table by a direct comparison of the mean dimensions. The length of the adult skull is by over 9 per cent, the breadth by less than 4 per cent, greater than that in childhood in the same groups.

The adult Eskimo skull has also grown very perceptibly more in height than in breadth, though somewhat less so than in length. The result is a notably higher height-breadth index in the adult. Compared to that in childhood the adult Eskimo skull is therefore relatively markedly longer, higher, and narrower.