Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon

Estimation of Age at Death from Pubic Symphysis for the Prehistoric Human Skeletons in Japan

Kazumasa KOBAYASIII

1964 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 43-55
Published: September 30, 1964
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.72.43

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Among excavated human skeletons of the prehistoric Jomon period in Japan collected at the Department of Anthropology of the University of Tokyo there are found 38 skeletons whose pubic symphyses of either one or both sides remain in fairly good condition. The author has examined the morphological features of these pubic symphyses mainly from the viewpoint of aging and tried to estimate the age at death of the skeletons. The skeletons used consist of 25 males and 13 females, the youngest of which is estimated not less than 18 years old. They were excavated from shell mounds of various times of the Jomon period in different regions of Japan, but as the number of the samples is too small to be divided into period or regional groups, there is no attempt at such grouping in this study.
For the estimation of age at death the author refered to the studies on the changes in the pubic bone by Todd, Brooks, and McKern and Stewart, and the similar studies for the Japanese by Hanihara and Koyama, and also refered to the author's own survey based on age-known recent Japanese skeletons. The age estimation in the present study is not based exclusively on the pubic symphysis, but other parts of the skeleton were also carefully observed and taken into consideration for the age estimation as checking factors.
The probable age range estimated is different from case to case, but for the statistical convenience the author took the pivotal age of the age range in respective cases and tabulated it into a table arranged by five-year age categories. The estimated age distribution is as follows: 1) males: 1 in 15-19 years, 3 in 20-24 years, 4 in 25-29 years, 9 in 30-34 years, 4 in 35-39 years, 2 in40-44 years and 2 in 50 years or more; 2) females: 4 in 20-24 years, 2 in 25-29 years, 3 in 30-34 years, 1 in 35-39 years and 3 in 40-44 years.
The present paper does not deal with the problem of the relationships between aging stage of the pubic symphysis and that of other parts of the skeleton, but the author is engaged in pursuing this problem for the ancient skeletons in Japan for the purpose of obtaining age criterions in the age estimation of the majority of excavated skeletons lacking the pubic Symphysis.

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Form and Function of Hands, in Relation to Brachiation

Masuji OSHIMA

1964 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 56-68
Published: September 30, 1964
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.72.56

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On the hands of apes, monkeys and man, some characteristics were observed and measured morphologically and functionally. The results obtained are shown in Tables 1-6 and Figures 3 and 4.
These results show that, in manipulation (Fig. 5), hand of man is most suitable for fingering, gripping, squeezing, grasping and pinching, and hands of Pongidae and Hylobatidae are most suitable for pending, and Cercopithecidae is for hanging. It is noteworthy that gibbon, who has the ability to brachiate most skilfully and in the highest speed, has the longest thumb, compared with, not only Pongidae who is the skilfull brachiator and has shorter thumb, but Cercopithecidae and man (Table 3). Moreover, the thumb of gibbon has not opposability with other fingers, only atthe tip of the thumb, and so, when five fingers get together at the same direction, his hand can pend conveniently, and, on the other hand, when the thumb is opposite to other four fingers, his hand can grasp sufficiently. In the author's opinion, it seems that, in brachiating movement, pending is most effective, but, in the case of speedy turning during brachiation, grasping is necessary to hold the balance of body, andhand of gibbon is made fitted to this movement.
Consequently, brachiation does not always result in devolution of the thumb, as is frequently said, but in speedy brachiator, such as gibbon, it is recognized that the thumb is not shortened.

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An Anthropological Study of the Thickness of the Parietal Hair of Four Population Groups

Eiki IKOMA, Sadao TSUMOTO, Takeshi MAEBO

1964 Volume 72 Issue 2 Pages 69-74
Published: September 30, 1964
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.72.69

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Four population groups, Ibusuki, Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima and South Korea (females only) were studied as to the thickness of their parietal hair.
Five hairs each from these sebjects were made into cross sections at the height of about 1 cm from the skin surface. These cross sections were measured of their maximum and minimum diameters with the acquisition of their indices. Out of the data, arithmetic mean, sampling error and standard deviation were obtained.
The Tokunoshima group had the average longest maximum diameter (103.8μ) for males, followed by the Amami Oshima group, and the Ibusuki group in descending order. The South Korea group had the average longest maximum diameter (106.5, μ ) for females, followed by the Tokunoshima group, and the Amami Oshima group, and the Ibusuki group in descending order. In the Ibusuki and Amami Oshima groups, the females showed a significantly longer maximum diameter than the males.
Throughout the groups, there was no significant local difference in the minimum diameter for males, but only the South Korea group showed a significantly longer value in it for females than the Ibusuki group. In the Ibusuki and Amami Oshima groups the females showed a significantly longer value in the minimum diameter than the males.
The maximum and minimum diameters of these four groups proved to be among the greatest of those other groups that had been studied by the present author. The indices obtained, although they do not seem so reliable on a theoretical basis, were also among the greatest of the data so far pursued.

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