Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

178

Cunningham Memoirs.

upon the early appearance of sexual differences in the brain of the foetus
and newborn child, and specially mentions that "in the majority of male
foetal brains the frontal lobes appear more massive, broader, and higher
than in the female." More recently Passet,* under the direction of
Eiidinger, returns to the subject, and gives the results which he has
obtained from an extended series of brain measurements. He comes to
the conclusion " that the fissure of Rolando, relatively as well as absolutely,
lies farther back in the male than in the female—or, in other words, that
more brain matter lies in front of the fissure of Rolando in the male than in
the female." Entering into further detail on this matter he remarks :—
"Die Entfernung der Fissura centralis vom Vorderhirn ist beim Manne
median, lateral und in der Mitte beim Manne relativ um je 4, 3, 2 mm.,
absolute um je 7, 4, 3 mm. grosser als beim Weibe. Es liegt also beim
Manne besonders nach der Medianebene zu mehr Gehirnmasse vor der
erwahnten Furche." He considers, however, that Huschka has somewhat
overstated the sexual differences. Passet illustrates his views by a very
ingenious diagram.

Eberstaller has gone into this question, in so far as it concerns
the adult, with his usual care and thoroughness. He measured no
fewer than 270 hemispheres (viz. 94 female and 176 male), and he
found that the upper end of the fissure of Rolando occupies relatively
the same place in the two sexes; what difference there is (0'6) is in
favour of the female frontal lobe. It is to be regretted that he gives
no measurements which would enable us to locate the lower end of the
sulcus in the two sexes.

The results which I have obtained for the adult brain agree in every
respect with those of Eberstaller,* and I would add to what he has stated—
(1) that the lower end of the fissure of Rolando also holds relatively the
same place on the cerebral surface in the two sexes; and (2) that at no
period of growth does the fissure of Rolando exhibit in its position what we
might safely regard to be sexual differences.

* "TTeber einige TMerschiede des Grosshirns nach deci Geschlecht," Archiv f. Anthrop.
May, 1882.

f Das Stirnhirn. Leipzig, 1890, p. 44.