Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Anatomy logoLink to Journal of Anatomy
. 1975 Dec;120(Pt 3):519–535.

Factors affecting the incidence of non-metrical skeletal variants.

A C Berry
PMCID: PMC1231693  PMID: 129447

Abstract

Non-metrical variants of the human cranium have been studied in 186 London crania of known age, sex and date of birth. The incidence of several variants was different in the two sexes, and these results were compared with those of other workers from different parts of the world. Few variants persistently favoured one sex: the majority behaved inconsistently. Age dependency was only demonstrated for one variant, while year of birth, presence of rickets, and spina bifida occulta, showed negligible influence on variant incidence. 20% of vertebral columns examined included an anomalous vertebra, usually sacral spina bifida occulta. Although family studies were largely inconclusive, this investigation provides no reason to doubt the basic genetical control of these variants.

Full text

PDF
530

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Benfer R. A. Associations among cranial traits. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1970 May;32(3):463–464. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330320317. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bennett K. A. The etiology and genetics of wormian bones. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1965 Sep;23(3):255–260. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330230313. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carolineberry A., Berry R. J. Epigenetic variation in the human cranium. J Anat. 1967 Apr;101(Pt 2):361–379. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Carter C. O., David P. A., Laurence K. M. A family study of major central nervous system malformations in South Wales. J Med Genet. 1968 Jun;5(2):81–106. doi: 10.1136/jmg.5.2.81. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carter C. O., Evans K. Spina bifida and anencephalus in greater London. J Med Genet. 1973 Sep;10(3):209–234. doi: 10.1136/jmg.10.3.209. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Corruccini R. S. An examination of the meaning of cranial discrete traits for human skeletal biological studies. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1974 May;40(3):425–445. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330400315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Harvey W. Some dental and social conditions of 1696-1852 connected with St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street, London. Med Hist. 1968 Jan;12(1):62–75. doi: 10.1017/s0025727300012771. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hertzog K. P. Associations between discontinuous cranial traits. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1968 Nov;29(3):397–403. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330290314. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. JORGENSEN J. B., LAUGHLIN W. S. Isolate variation in Greenlandic Eskimo crania. Acta Genet Stat Med. 1956;6(1 Pt 2):3–12. doi: 10.1159/000150804. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kellock W. L., Parsons P. A. A comparison of the incidence of minor nonmetrical cranial variants in Australian aborigines with those of Melanesia and Polynesia. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1970 Sep;33(2):235–240. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330330209. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kellock W. L., Parsons P. A. Variation of minor non-metrical cranial variants in Australian Aborigines. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1970 May;32(3):409–421. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330320311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Knip A. S. Metrical and non-metrical measurements on the skeletal remains of Christian populations from two sites of Sudanese Nubia. I. Proc K Ned Akad Wet C. 1970;73(5):433–contd. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Laurence K. M. Vertebral abnormalities in first degree relatives of cases of spina bifida and of anencephaly. Arch Dis Child. 1970 Apr;45(240):274–274. doi: 10.1136/adc.45.240.274-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MOORRESS C. F. A., OSBORNE R. H., WILD E. Torus mandibularis: its occurrence in Aleut children and its genetic determinants. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1952 Sep;10(3):319–329. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330100317. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mayhall J. T., Dahlberg A. A., Owen D. G. Torus mandibularis in an Alaskan Eskimo population. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1970 Jul;33(1):57–60. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330330109. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rightmire G. P. Cranial measurements and discrete traits compared in distance studies of African Negro skulls. Hum Biol. 1972 May;44(2):263–276. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wood-Jones F. The non-metrical Morphological Characters of the Skull as Criteria for Racial Diagnosis: Part III: The non-metrical Morphological Characters of the Skulls of Prehistoric Inhabitants of Guam. J Anat. 1931 Jul;65(Pt 4):438–445. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Anatomy are provided here courtesy of Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

RESOURCES