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Insect Pages & References

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Malformations of the external ear are connected with faulty development of the 1st branchial arch with cleft patate & arrested development of the face= & skull=cartilages ---------

[Darwin annotation:] p. 3 Ears of men [2 words illeg] than those of women

--- I examined a series of or idiot insane people who possessed the peculiarity of skull which I have called PROGENIC in all these was arrested development of their bones of the face especially the under jaw. My expectation of finding abnormalities in the external ear were toned down when I added to my observations a great number of insane & sane people- My results are not unimportant pathologically but "auf der Physognomischen Seite"

To a well formed head belong a small round well moulded ear. Artists in their ideal heads do not bring the ear into definite prominence but run its contours into those of the head- but in caricatures the ear is prominent. Broad plump heads have great massive ears true "Elephantenohren" [elephant ears] – while the so called pointed fawn ear belongs to a low receding forehead & pointed chin. A comparative examination of normal male ears bears out the opinion that the

[Annotation in another hand (archivist's):] Translation of Meyer's article 'Uber das Darwin'sche Spitzohr' in the Archive fur path. Anat. und Phys. 1871, vol 53, pp 485-

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position of the ear is connected with the general build of the head. A good facial angle (Orthogentia) goes with a vertical setting all of the concha; a line drawn from the top of the arch of the helix to the middle of the opening of the auditory meatus is parallel to the vertical [illeg] of Lumper's angle.

 

The angle in children is much obtuser in than in adults; [female] intermediate between children & men.

The position of the ear can be used to measure the forms of the underjaw in various races- An explanation of this conclusion may be, that they are both formed from the 1st branchial arch

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487 bottom 488

If a variation arises in their general form & position of the cincha, a much higher grade of variation is found in the projechicus and recesses on its surface so character of the human ear-

Not two ears even in the same individual correspond exactly- Especially in mens ears as opposed to women's

The projections concha-form in a more or less regular way, wavy boundaries at other times sharp points & tyhen give the whole ear a more rectangular form – they may project sharply out for maybe imperfectly developed eve to complete supprescience

Fig 1 is the ear of an idiot as the extreme type of a flat ear- The concha wants nearly all the projecticus. The helix only exists in the front part, the concavity of the auto helix is wanting seapha & 7 [illeg] are hardly observable. Antitragus is not present- Tragus is worthy of note it is split in two flat processes-

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comparatively very frequently projecting irregularies occur in the form of the ear. Quite apart from the individual breadth contractions in some places enlargement in others occur which show on the edge as more or less apparent points & projections- It is one of the more noticeable of these that has caused Darwin in his new work the "Descent" which has excite such a great sensation in the widest circles, to ornament the Ur-menschen or progenitors of man with pointed ears- "Home sum et nil human a me alienum puto"- the kind reader will

I openly acknowledge that my letters to students have not made me competent to criticise the theory of Rudiments

He talks of the points as being remains of the edges of the helix as it ought to be in its fullest human form-

The edge of the helix is seldom quite smooth Also if the contour does not appear broken to the eye, the finger finds generally the upper and hinder edge

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Some little gaps in the cartilage. The bigger the gaps so much the clearer to thick do their boundaries of them appear as point. The pieces bitten out between the points are generally more broad than deep- so the edge between to gaps makes a flat triangle with bent sides In fig 4 such half moon shaped cut out spaces follow one behind the other bx b1 b" b"', the bits of edge left between give it a peculiar warty appearance

A line joining the points of this unevenness would reproduce the normal shape of the edge

The deviation from the normal is not in the points but in the gaps---

That the points are nothing more than the remains of the edge is further evident[Darwin marginal note: "See wood-cut"] – because the original direction of the former corresponds with the latter and does not form a a solitary (independent? (einoder) point sticking out.

If the edge is rolled inwards the pointed direction is inwards, while in a more standing out edge

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the point projects more outwards, & then as D has rightly observed can be perceived from behind or in front as in Fig. 3(a). The peculiar Fig 6. a high grade of the broad & long point in fig 5 is caused by the helix nearly quite failing to exist & forming flat & deep gaps above & below the point, and also because the "umschlag" (fold?) at this spot is wanting "nach vorne und innern". The point is directed outwards and backwards, so far it represents nothing except the helix at that spot, where it has its fold outwards & backwards.

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It must be "hervorzuheben" (not in dictionary) that the part of the helix which shows the Darwinian point oftenest, has its whole conformation very favourable for its formation. This, the upper 1/3 if the hinder edge has in its middle the broadest part of the folded down edge which very quickly fails both above & below & forms a flat half moon shaped point under normal circumstances.

Evidently it only needs a moderate sharpening of this point to produce a formation at this place such as Woolner modelled and as sin in Fig 2 & 3. Thus the point in Fig 6 has solely arisen because the lower half of the helix and the cauda helicis

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are wanting, and the helix projects in a sharp corner in the position of the apparent point.

The deviation I have described is undoubtedly not produced in life, but is congenital. It comes already in young children in perfection as I have "constatirte" in isolated cases, -------

It occurs oftener in man than woman

According to Kollmann's investigations the helix is not not an independent (selbständige) formation. The loncha exists originally as 3 separate pieces, which usually at the end of the 6th week are evidently the tragus anti tragus & anti helix c+ the o absences of the border is as Kollman properly wonders

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a want of development, there the occurrence of more or less evident gaps in it, belongs to the same category as & corresponds to the splitting of Tragus-

 

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Reference:

Meyer, Ludwig. 1871. Ueber das Darwin'sche Spitzohr. Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und für klinische Medicin 53: 485-492, pl. XIV. PDF