Owing to their larger size and greater differentiation, a number of
the bones of the feet, particularly of the tarsus, yield material for
measurement and special observation, and have received rather extended
attention by anatomists and anthropologists,[93] but as yet there is
no perfect uniformity in the methods of measurement or of description.
The writer’s object in selecting his measurements and points for
description was to employ only those that appear to be the most
sensible and significant, the most readily standardized, and involving
no details, save in cases that may be of special importance.
[93] S. P. Lazarus, Zur Morphologie des Fufsskelettes, _Morphol.
Jahrb._, XXIV, H. 1, repr., 8⁰, Leipzig, 1896; W. Pfitzner, Beiträge
zur Kenntniss des menschlichen Extremitätenskelets, _Morphol.
Arbeiten_, I, H. 1, Jena, 1891; Th. Volkov, _Variations squelettiques
du pied chez les primates et dans les races humaines; Thèse doctorale
de la Faculté des Sciences_, Paris, 1905; Chas. Fraipont, _L’Astragale
de l’homme Moustérien_, etc., 8⁰, Bruxelles, 1912; M. Reicher, Beitrag
zur Anthropologie des Calcaneus, _Archiv für Anthropologie_, N. F.,
XII, H. 2, 1913; S. Poniatowski, Badania Antropologiczne nad Kóscia
Skokowa (Anthropological Studies of the Talus), _Prace Towarzystwa
Naukowego Warszawskiego_, 1913.
_First Metatarsal_
As the first metacarpal serves in a measure as an index of the size
of the hand, so the first metatarsal gives an indication of that of
the foot. The proportional length of the foot can further be judged
from the percental relation of the first metatarsal to the femur.
The relation between the size of the feet and that of the hands is
expressed by the pollex-hallux index, or percental relation between the
first metacarpal and the first metatarsal.
There are in all 36 first metatarsals among the Munsee bones, the
measurements and relations of which are given in the above table. It
will be seen that the length of the bone is, on the average, greater in
the males than in the females, but it does not differ perceptibly on
the two sides of the body in either sex.
The hallux-femur index is practically equal on the two sides (differing
only in centesimals), and is larger in the males than in the females,
showing that the foot of the Munsee male was not only somewhat larger
than that of the female, but was also larger in that sex in relation to
the length of the femur and the stature. This relative excess of the
foot is more marked than was that of the hand, and in all probability
is a result of greater functional activity, the male Indians being
excessive walkers and runners.
A comparison of the first metatarsal in the Munsee and in the United
States whites shows that in the latter, in both sexes, the bone is
longer, indicating, on the average, a longer foot. The difference is
especially marked on the left side and is probably both racial and
functional.
As a result of the greater length of the bone in the United States
whites, whose average stature is very nearly that of the Munsee, we
find that their hallux-femur index is decidedly higher than that of the
Munsee, especially on the left side. The white man’s foot is therefore
not only longer absolutely, but also relatively as compared with the
femur and, indirectly, the stature.
The foot of the whites is also somewhat longer relatively to the hand,
than that of the Munsee, and especially on the left side, which gives
us a lower pollex-hallux index for the whites.
LXXVII. MUNSEE: FIRST METATARSAL
MALES
--------------+-----------------------------------------------------
| Right
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+----------
|Number of|Length, |Number| Pollex- |Number|Metatarso-
|specimens|maximum | of | hallux | of | femoral
| | |cases |index [94]| cases|index[95]
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+----------
Average: | | _cm._ | | | |
Pairs | (6) | 6.5 | (4) | 70.4 | (5) | 14.7
Total present| (11) | 6.5 | (8) | 72.4 | (9) | 14.5
Minimum (total| | | | | |
present) | (11) | 6.1 | (8) | 65.1 | (9) | 13.8
Maximum (total| | | | | |
present) | (11) | 6.8 | (8) | 76.6 | (9) | 15.1
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+----------
| Left
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+----------
Average: | | | | | |
Pairs | (6) | 6.5 | (4) | 69.2 | (5) | 14.7
Total present| (8) | 6.48 | (4) | 69.2 | (7) | 14.2
Minimum (total| | | | | |
present) | (8) | 6.3 | (4) | 65.4 | (7) | 12.9
Maximum (total| | | | | |
present) | (8) | 6.8 | (4) | 71.1 | (7) | 15.2
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+----------
FEMALES
--------------+-----------------------------------------------------
| Right
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+----------
Average: | | _cm._ | | | |
Pairs | (7) | 6.0 | (4) | 73.2 | (6) | 14.2
Total present| (8) | 5.97 | (7) | 72.2 | (7) | 14.1
Minimum (total| | | | | |
present) | (8) | 5.5 | (7) | 70.9 | (7) | 13.5
Maximum (total| | | | | |
present) | (8) | 6.45 | (7) | 75.4 | (7) | 15.1
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+----------
--------------+-----------------------------------------------------
| Left
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+-----------
Average: | | | | | |
Pairs | (7) | 6.0 | (4) | 73.9 | (6) | 14.2
Total present| (9) | 5.91 | (6) | 72.4 | (7) | 14.1
Minimum (total| | | | | |
present) | (9) | 5.45 | (6) | 67 | (7) | 13.5
Maximum (total| | | | | |
present) | (9) | 6.4 | (6) | 77.4 | (7) | 15.2
--------------+---------+--------+------+---------+------+-----------
[94] Maximum length of first metacarpal × 100 / Maximum length of first
metatarsal.
[95] Maximum length of first metatarsal × 100 / Bicondylar length of
femur.
LXXVIII. THE FIRST METATARSAL IN THE MUNSEE
AND IN UNITED STATES WHITES
-------------+---------------------------------
| Right
-------------+---------+-------+-------+-------
|Specimens|Length,|Hallux-|Pollex-
Both sexes | |maximum| femur |hallux
| | | index |index
-------------+---------+-------+-------+-------
| | _cm._ | |
Munsee | (19) | 6.3 | 14.3 | 72.3
United States| | | |
whites[96] | (51) | 6.6 | 15.3 | 71.1
-------------+---------+-------+-------+-------
| Left
-------------+---------+-------+-------+-------
| | _cm._| |
Munsee | (17) | 6.2 | 14.15 | 71.1
United States| | | |
whites | (33) | 6.7 | 15.5 | 66.1
-------------+---------+-------+-------+--------
[96] The indexes in whites are close approximations.
_Os Calcis_
Being the largest bone of the tarsus, and the most important
functionally, the os calcis, or calcaneus, seems to deserve closer
attention by anthropologists than it usually receives.
The bone presents three different and fairly easily ascertainable
dimensions: (1) the greatest length of the whole bone; (2) the minimum
breadth or thickness of the body; and (3) the height of the body at its
greatest constriction. It further offers several interesting points for
visual observation.
The total number of calcanei in the Munsee material is 51, which
gives a fair male and female series. The following table shows the
measurements on 40 of those that are paired and hence most suitable for
comparison.