Adolph H. Schultz

Fetal Growth of Man and Other Primates

W T r HEN human growth is divided into an embryonic, a fetal, and a post-natal period, it is found that our knowledge in regard to the first and last parts is far more advanced than that of the middle or fetal period. Of all biological sciences embryology and physical anthropology have contributed the largest shares to the literature on human growth. The physiology and the histology of growth have been investigated much less and not until in comparativelyxrecent years, the latter for instance by Levi (I925), the former by Friendenthal (I9I4). Comparative studies on the growth of different animals have been undertaken for but few and special purposes and no comprehensive paper on this promising problem is available as yet. In short, it can be stated that of the multitutde of questions, arising from the study of growth, a large proportion has up to the present time either not been answered at all or only in a tentative and incomplete manner. This review is restricted almost entirely to observations from the field of physical anthropology and places main emphasis on the period of growth extending from the time the embryo has gained a definitely human form to birth. In other words, the following discussion will deal principally with those ontogenetic changes in body size and proportions which take place during that phase of development which links the period properly assigned to embryology with that covered by the enormous literature on growth in children (Baldwin (i92i) has collected 9II titles pertaining to the growth of man from birth to maturity). Conditions in juveniles and adults are mentioned in this paper merely in order to indicate the general trend of growth changes during life after birth, and to compare certain features of fetal development with those at later stages of growth.

Age changes, variability and generic differences in body proportions of recent hominoids.

The averages and ranges of variations of 9 absolute and 12 relative body measurements of a few fetal, 55 newborn, and 165 adult hominoid primates are recorded and compared in regard to their relative

Variations in Man and Their Evolutionary Significance

EVE-UY biological science is confronted constantly with the manifold problems of the variability of life. Althougoh there exists an enormous literature on general variability aand on particular individual variations, the true nature of variations, together with their underlying causes and possible eff ects, is still by no means thorouglhly understood, and students in the different fields are as yet far fromi a universal agreement in regard to time ultimate interpretation of the available evidence. Some excellent theories or, better, working hypotheses, have been advanced ini an attempt to explain and sunmarize time behaavior of variations. These hypotheses, however, need to be still further tested by the findings in as many different branches of the natural scieimces as possible. In the following notes it is intemlded to enumerate sone contributions by physical anthropology that have a direct bearing omi the g-eneral biological questions of variability ammd that, indirectly, happen to connect the latter with soimme pleases of evolution. Data resulting frommi the study of uman hiniself are often apt to be interpreted in a mimore

Polydactylism in a Siamang

A pair of normal siamangs at the Zurich Zoo had recently a viable first-born with a large supernumerary digit on the ulnar side of each hand and on the tibial side of each foot. No other anomalies cou

Primatology in its Relation to Anthropology

Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Anthropological Institute of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, since 1951, Dr. Schultz was formerly Research Associate of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1916-1925, 1937-1938, and Associate Professor of Physical Anthropology, 1925-1951, at the Johns Hopkins Medical School. He was the recipient of the 1948 Viking Fund Medal in Physical Anthropology, is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, and was recently elected a Foreign Fellow of the London Zoological Society.

Preparation and Preservation of Anatomical and Embryological Material in the Field

Museums the world over contain large numbers of skins and skulls of mammals, and our knowledge of these parts is consequently well advanced. The study of the soft parts of the mammalian body, however, is much less complete. This is largely due to the fact that comparatively little interest has been manifested in the past in the systematic collecting of entire animals and that the conditions of preparation and preservation of the soft parts are not sufficiently well known to most collectors, being in general regarded as too complicated and troublesome to be practicable in the field. Thus, on most expeditions, only occasional smaller animals are preserved intact, and for anatomical studies on larger mammals one has to rely on such specimens as die in zoological gardens, which unfortunately are often pathological. Naturally, there are limitations to what can be preserved in the field, as it is impossible to transport the entire bodies of the largest mammals. However, almost every single part of a body would be of great value and might help to fill one of the many gaps in comparative anatomy. Here it may also be stated that one cannot collect too many duplicates for the study of the soft parts, just as in the case of skins and skulls. The variability in muscles, blood-vessels, and nerves is even more pronounced than that in bones, and it is the rare extreme variation which often throws most light on questions of derivation and relationship. Of unborn animals many different stages are necessary before a complete study of their development can be undertaken; a modest beginning has been made toward this end, since fetuses and embryos are being saved by field collectors with increasing frequency. However, the value of this material could often be augmented by more appropriate preservation. The first requirement for the successful and lasting preservation of an animal, with the exception of very small specimens, embryos and young fetuses, is embalming. No preserving fluid has been found so far that, when a fairly large animal is merely submerged in it, will penetrate the tissues rapidly enough to reach the innermost structures of the body before decomposition has set in. The frequently practiced method of slitting the abdomen for the purpose of allowing the preserving fluid to enter the body is a crude and far from ideal procedure and renders the specimen useless for certain anatomical investigations. If an animal 16