Part 1
MEN'S heads are by no means all like to one another, nor are the
sutures of the head of all men constructed in the same form. Thus,
whoever has a prominence in the anterior part of the head (by prominence
is meant the round protuberant part of the bone which projects beyond
the rest of it), in him the sutures of the head take the form of the
Greek letter
tau, T; for the head has the shorter line running transverse
before the prominence, while the other line runs through the middle
of the head, all the way to the neck. But whoever has the prominence
in the back part of the head, in him the sutures are constructed in
quite the opposite form to the former; for in this case the shorter
line runs in front of the prominence, while the longer runs through
the middle all along to the forehead. But whoever has a prominence
of the head both before and behind, in him the sutures resemble the
Greek letter
eta E; for the long lines of the letter run transverse
before each prominence while the short one runs through the middle
and terminates in the long lines. But whoever has no prominence on
either part he has the sutures of the head resembling the Greek letter
chi; for the one line comes transverse to the temple while the other
passes along the middle of the head. The bone at the middle of the
head is double, the hardest and most compact part being the upper
portion, where it is connected with the skin, and the lowest, where
it is connected with the meninx (dura mater); and from the uppermost
and lowermost parts the bone gradually becomes softer and less compact,
till you come to the
diploe. The diploe is the most porous, the softest,
and most cavernous part. But the whole bone of the head, with the,
[p. 146]
exception of a small portion of the uppermost and lowermost portions
of it, is like a sponge; and the bone has in it many juicy substances,
like caruncles; and if one will rub them with the fingers, some blood
will issue from them. There are also in the bone certain very slender
and hollow vessels full of blood. So it is with regard to hardness,
softness, and porosity.