craniometry

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cra·ni·om·e·try

(krā′nē-ŏm′ĭ-trē)

Measurement of the skull to determine its characteristics as related to sex, race, or body type.

craniometry

(ˌkreɪnɪˈɒmɪtrɪ)

(Physiology) the study and measurement of skulls

craniometric, ˌcranioˈmetrical adj

ˌcranioˈmetrically adv

ˌcraniˈometrist n

cra•ni•om•e•try

(ˌkreɪ niˈɒm ɪ tri)

n.

the science of measuring skulls, chiefly to determine their characteristic relationship to sex, body type, or genetic population.

[1860–65]

cra`ni•o•met′ric (-əˈmɛ trɪk) cra`ni•o•met′ri•cal, adj.

cra`ni•o•met′ri•cal•ly, adv.

craniometry

the science of measuring skulls. — craniometrist, n. — craniometric, craniometrical, adj.

See also: Head

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Noun

craniometry - the branch of physical anthropology dealing with the study and measurement of dry skulls after removal of its soft parts

physical anthropology - the branch of anthropology dealing with the genesis and variation of human beings

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References in periodicals archive ?

Late in the antebellum period, black activists Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Frances Harper began challenging notions of racial hierarchy suggested by craniometry and polygenesis.

The Struggle for Equal Adulthood: Gender, Race, Age, and the Fight for Citizenship in Antebellum America

Cephalometry and craniometry are used frequently to study skull growth in normal and pathological conditions.

Distance of ear with reference to midline landmarks of face

Craniometry and Biological Distance: Biocultural Continuity and Change at the Late-Woodland-Mississippian Interface.

Examinando los efectos de la modificacion artificial craneal en metrica craneofaciales

Craniovertebral junction: normal anatomy, craniometry, and congenital anomalies.

Validity of palpation of the C1 transverse process: comparison with a radiographic reference standard

The 'scientific racism' of the nineteenth century produced several offshoots of what Harvard biologist Stephen Jay Gould terms 'the mis-measure of man'; Craniometry, craniology, phrenology--the measure of human skulls in an attempt to scientifically determine or prove the racial superiority of the Caucasian group over non-White population groups.

Guest editor: Gershom Williams

While the scientific credibility of craniometry was severely attacked and discredited by African-American intellectuals, the eugenics movement has continued to be spurred on by "data" supporting the view that IQ tests adequately measure something we call "intelligence.

Marxism, philosophy, and the Africana world: a philosophical commentary

See generally Stephen Jay Gould, American Polygeny and Craniometry Before Darwin.

BioPrivilege

For a more extensive discussion of craniometry and late nineteenth century theories of biological determinism, see Gould, chapter two.

Scientific racism and masculine recuperation: Charles Lummis and the search for "home"

Craniometry was thought to evaluate intelligence by measuring facial bones, phrenology maintained that the skull was made up of 27 sections whose shapes were linked to specific traits, and physiognomy contended that character could be assessed through a person's facial features.

The biggest Jewish genetic myths of all time: we've all heard the generalizations and stereotypes. Moment takes a closer look at some of the persistent rumors to find out the truth

here--from physiognomy, phrenology and craniometry to criminology and

The dream of a transparent body: identity, science and the gothic novel

Qureshi links the nineteenth-century interest in craniometry and phrenology to such moments of inspection: these forms of knowledge allowed individuals to organize the differences they encountered into types, mostly through the assessment of a person's appearance.