Árbók Háskóla Íslands - 02.01.1925, Blaðsíða 258

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that they are of a tall, slender stature, with short trunk and
arms, but long lower limbs. Tlie weight is rather heavy. All
principal measurements of the trunk and extremities are practi-
cally the same in Icelanders and Norwegians, and by calculating
the means one cannot help being surprised at the insigni-
ficant difference between the Icelandic and Norwegian figures,
B. Measurements of the head.
Since most measurements of the head and face are very little
altered from the twenties to 40 ys. The following means are
caculated from my whole material 20—40 years old (ca. 840
individuals) and given in absolute figures.
a) T h e v a u 1 t o f t h e h e a d. The means found by
tlie author and Halfdan Bryn are the following:
Icel. Norweg.
Length of the head (g—op) 19,73 19,22
Breadth of the head (eu—eu) 15,41 15,28
Height of the liead (f—b) 12,61 13,10
Cephalic index 78,13 79,76
Here we find everyAvliere marked differences. The length
and breadth of the head are greater in Iceland than in Norway,
especially the length, while the heiglit of the head is less.
Tlie cephalic index is consequently considerably lower in Ice-
land than in Norway. It appears as if this index may serve
as a characteristic mark of distinction between Icelanders and
Norwegians, the measurements in botli countries being doubt-
less correct. C. Arbo found the same figure for tf.e cephalic
index in the Drontlieim district as Halfdan Bryn, and L. Rib-
ing just the same figure in Icelanders as tlie author. As far
as known the mean cephalic index in the scandinavian countries
is as follows:
Iceland Sweden Norwuy Denmnrk
Cephatic index 78,13 78,121) 79,76 80,6.
Classification according to this index gives of course a similar
result:
Iceland Sweden Norwey Denmnrk
Dolichocephalic (x—77,9) 23,9% 19,1% 15,1% 7,3%
Mesocephalic (78,0—80,9) 59,7— 60,4— 56,4— 48,3—
Brachycephalic (81,0—x) 16,4— 20,5— 28,5— 44,4—
It appears very strange that the Icelanders, who emigrated
lrom the brachycephalic districts in Norway sliould have a
1) 77,86 according to Retzius and Furst: Anthropologia Suecica.