The lower jaw of the Eskimo deserves a thorough separate study. For
this purpose, however, more jaws in good condition are needed from
various localities, and particularly more jaws accompanying their
skulls. As it is, a large majority of the crania are without the lower
jaw, or the alveolar processes of the latter have become so affected
in life through age and loss of teeth that their value is diminished
or lost. Still another serious difficulty is that the measuring of the
lower jaw is difficult and has not as yet been regulated by general
agreement, so that there is much individualism of procedures with
limited possibilities of comparison.
One of the principal measurements taken on the available Eskimo
mandibles was the symphyseal height. This is taken by the sliding
calipers and is the height from the lower alveolar point (highest
point of the normal alveolar septum between the middle lower incisors)
to the lowest point on the inferior border of the chin in the median
line.[161] The results are given in the following tables.