the linear coordinate-cum-angle measure: a multi-purpose tool

The Linear Coordinate-cum-Angle Measure: A Multi-purpose ToolAuthor(s): Abhimanyu SharmaSource: Current Anthropology, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr., 1966), pp. 235-239Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of Wenner-Gren Foundation forAnthropological ResearchStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2740037 .

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find evidence to show that the ancestors of the present Thai lived in the area in prehistoric times. This evidence cannot be found in the study of history or so- called proto-history, but must be sought in the study of real prehistory. The Neolithic skeletons discovered at Ban Kao should give some clue as to the type of people who lived in Thailand at that time. The study of 37 skeletons revealed the following characteristics:

Their life span is short: the estimated age of 26 skeletons is less than 30 years, and only 2 are over 40 years old. Their physical condition is poor; many long bones are weakly developed, with femurs curved forward. Their stature is nearly the same as that of the present Thai.

The skull bridge of the nose is broad and flat. There is slight alveolar prog- nathism. The palate is short, wide, and high. The mandibles are weakly developed, but since the sides of the body of the mandible diverge at the sym- physis menti, the bicondylar and bigonial diameters are great, and this makes the angles of the mandible prominent in the living individual. All these characteristics can be, found in the present Thai skulls I examined, with 1 exception: the Ban Kao face is broader than that of the present Thai.

Dental caries is very frequent, and the masticating surface of the teeth is worn down to deep excavations by some kind of food. While caries can be found in the present Thai skulls, the masticating surface is different. Erosion of the labial surface of the crown in some teeth in Ban Kao skulls, possibly due to citrus fruits or the use of a hard brush made from a tree root, cannot be found in the present Thai skulls.

Two types of artificial deformation of the teeth are found in the Ban Kao skeletons: (1) the extraction of lateral incisors and canines on both sides of the upper jaw at about the time of puberty; and (2) the filing of the labial surface of the upper 2 incisors (see Fig. 1). Neither of these types of deformation is found in the present Thai skulls. It is said that the filing of teeth was practiced in the southern part of Thai- land 50 years ago; I have found no evidence so far to substantiate this claim. A report of special treatment of the teeth among the Thai at the south- western borders of the Nan-Chao king- dom, from Chapter 4 of the Man Shu, is quoted by Mote (1964: p. 107) as follows: "The 'black-teeth' tribesmen use lacquer to paint the teeth; the 'gold- teeth' tribesmen wrap thin sheets of gold around their teeth. When some matter arises that they must go out to meet people, they put on this gold as adornment, but they take if off when they eat . . ." Wales (1964) reports the filing of teeth in some of the skulls from P'ong Tiik and comments, "One cannot fail to notice a strong resem- blance in this respect to the filed teeth of the Neolithic skulls recently found by the Thai-Danish Prehistoric Ex- pedition higher up the same river Meklong. Perhaps the P'ong Tiik skulls could be those of a similar people who by the early centuries of the Christian era had come into the possession of iron weapons." Another characteristic which may be

significant is that in skeleton adult Li! 11,2 the bones of the skull are 11 mm. thick, thicker than those of the Ban Kao skeletons and also those of the Mesolithic skull discovered at Sai Yok. The thickness and coarseness of the diploic tissue are very similar to that of the skull of a young Thai girl who died of chronic anemia. We have recently discovered that chronic anemia in Thailand is commonly caused by abnormal hemoglobin E and thalassemia. Surveys by many recent Thai in- vestigators have come to nearly the same conclusion: that this hemoglobin E trait is found in about 13% of the general population and in as much as 42% of the population in the north- eastern part of the country (P. Wasi,

personal communication, 1962). That the trait appears very rarely among the Chinese3 substantiates the subdivision of the Mongoloid group, in which the Chinese are classified as central or classical Mongoloid and the Thai as southern Mongoloid or Indo-Malayan. If it can be shown that skeleton adult Li II died of chronic anemia, then perhaps abnormal hemoglobin E and thalassemia have been present among inhabitants of Thailand for more than 3,000 years and, because of some selec- tive advantage factor, have persisted until the present time.

Although more study is still needed before I can come to any definite conclusions, the findings so far seem to in- dicate that the present territory of Thailand was occupied by people with some characteristics not much different from those of the present Thai. Solheim has preceded me in concluding (1964) that there are numerous similarities and no important differences between the Neolithic population of Ban Kao and the present-day Thai. A conclusion to the contrary can only be based on further study.

Reported by SOOD SANGVICHIEN

2 Li! is a site named in honor of Nai Lii, an old man in the village of Ban Kao who led the expedition to the discovery of the site. Only 2 skeletons were found at this site, that of an adult and that of a young child. 3 McFadzean and Todd (1964:493) report that -"In the past 9 years haemoglobin E has b-ete encountered in 4 families and haemoglobin E-thalassaemia in 2 brothers (con- firmed by Dr. Lie-Injo) from Kwangtung (Sz Yap and Canton and neighboring coun- ties). All claimed to have pure Chinese ancestry and none were Hakka."

References Cited CREDER, WILHELM. 193 5. Cultural and

geographical observations made in the Tali (Yunnan) region with special regard to the Nan-Chao problem. Translated f.rom German into English by Major Erik Seidenfaden. Journal of the Siam Society special issue, 1-20.

DODD, W. C. 1923. The Thai race. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

McFADzEAN, A. J. S., and D. TODD. 1964. The distribution of Cooley's anaemia in China. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 58: 490-99.

MOTE, F. W. 1964. Problem of Thai prehistory. Social Science Review 2:100-9.

SOLHEIM, W. G., 1964. Thailand and prehistory. Silpakon 842-77.

WALES, H. G. Q. 1936. Further excavations at P'ong Tiik (Siam). Indian Art and Letters 10:42-48.

1964. Some ancient human skeletons excavated in Siam. A correction. Man, nos. 141-43.

The Linear Coordinate-cum-Angle Measure: A Multi-purpose Tool

I have already designed and described a multi-purpose tool for use in dermatoglyphics called the "direct angle measure," which simultaneously meas- ures 2 linear distances and the angle contained between them (on the same plane, of course) without disfiguring the inked palmar print with pencil

lines; it has resulted in considerable saving of time normally spent in draw- ing pencil lines in angle atd investiga- tions (Sharma 1964a:18-19). In addi- tion to taking these 3 measurements and the torsion angles of long bones, it is also capable of measuring the vertical distance of a point from a given straight

line, though not with the desired facility (Sharma 1964b). In order to take the vertical distances of different points from any given straight line (a-d in our case), I have now designed and fabricated another multi-purpose tool, called the "linear coortlinate-cum-angle measure;," with which it is possible to record, more conveniently than with the direct angle measure, the more than 3 linear (horizontal and vertical) and

Vok; 7 * No., 2 * April 1966 235



* *~~~~. .~ . ..u.~.... A

..~~~~i...... . ..

~~~~~ * ......... .~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~........

FIG. 1. Palmar print, showing measurements involved in calculating various indices Geipel's angles "gamma" (y) and "beta" (i), distalmost wrist crease (DWC), and main landmarks of 4 proxialmost metacarpophalangeal creases (PMPC). Alciati's landmarks X, IX, VIII, and VII (1961:141, Fig. 2) are synonymous with U, M, N, and P.

angular measurements involved in th4 following proportional indices1 (see Fig. 1):

1) Breadth-Height _ a-d .o0 Index (BHI) t-P C

2) Height-Breadth _ c-Pc Index at c (HBI) a-d IOC

3) Height-Breadth _ b-pb Index at b (HBI) - a-d * 1O0

4) Pt-Positional a-Pt Index (PI) a-d . 100

5) Pc-Positional a-Pc Index (PI) a-d 10C

6) pb-Positional a-pb Index (PI) a-d loG

Various aspects of BHI, first reportec in 1961 before the 2nd International Congress of Human Genetics (Sharmo 1961), have subsequently been studiec in great detail (Sharma 1962:188-256, 411-503; 1963a:218; 1963b:275; 1964c: 1-42; 1964d); a preliminary report ol other indices is in press (Sharma 1964b). Geipel's (1963:81) angles "gamma" (y) and "beta" (,B) or their supplementaries dca and dba (Sharma 1964c:21) may also be measured with the instrument tc be described here.

INSTRUMENTAL DESIGN

The new instrument consists of a large- sized transparent plastic protractor having an extended but fixed arm (F) between the 3rd (QIII) and 4th quadrants (QIv) and a detachable and movable arm (M) that revolves around a central point 0 which is also the reference point of the graduated protractor (0?-360? in both directions). Besides these calibrations, both the

abscissa and ordinate are graduated ii C.G.S. units from 0 to X, 0 to Y, 0 t X', and 0 to Y' (= 76 mm. in eac] case), and from 0 to Y" (125 mm. (see Fig. 2). The 1-piece movable arn (M) is calibrated to 125 mm. from zer4 to A towards the right and to 76 mm from zero to B towards the left; th fixed arm (F) and the protractor ar made from the same solid plastic piece Coordinates of any point on a hori zontal plane can be recorded becaus of X'OX (x-axis) and Y'OY (y-axis)

CF and CM are the circular perfora tions on the fixed (F) and movable (M arms, respectively, and constitute th most delicate feature in the fabricatior of the instrument, for the degree oi accuracy depends on the coincidence oi the zero point (0) of the 2 scales witi the central or zero point (o) of the vertical perforation of the screw (S) The perforation CM is slightly large in diameter (6 mm.) than CF (4 mm.) corresponding to the diameters d1 oi the unthreaded part and d2 of th4 threaded part (4 threads) of the scre; S. Accordingly, the inside wall of Cl is threaded so that the screw S may b( tightened upon CF with the movable

arm in between parts X and Z of S; i.e., part Y fits into the perforation CM. The height of part Y is so adjusted as to provide a fair degree of mobility to the arm M from 0?-360? (in 1/2 degree graduations) counterclockwise (Qr to QI1v) or clockwise (QIv to QI).

MANIPULATION

If one is interested only in taking any 1 of the 3 perpendiculars t-Pt, c-Pc b_pb drawn upon a-d from t, c, and b respectively and any 2 parts of a-d (a-Pt and d-Pt, a-Pc and d-Pc, or a-pb and d-Pb) connected with the respective projective points (Pt, pc, Pb), one may take the measurements without attach- ing the movable arm M to the fixed arm F with the screw S. In order to use this linear coordinate protractor (without the movable arm M), locate and mark the digital triradii d and a as accurately as possible, in conformity with instructions provided by Cummins et al. (1929:430, Fig. 1) and reproduced by Cummins and Midlo (1943 and 1961:87, Fig. 62). Then, hold it in such a manner that the abscissa (X'OX) is

This inference is very significant indeed in view of the fact that it has never been established in such unequivocal, metric, terms. It is being worked out with reference to the proximal most metacarpo-phalangeal creases (PMPC) and longitudinal axis of the hand by means of X-ray skeletotopics. the project is sanctioned by the University Grants Commission (India), under whose aegis the instrument has been fabricated for completing the metric work on exposed X-ray plates.

1 Some readers may wonder what can be learned from these indices. I quote from my recent paper (1964c:21) on the subject: ... I have applied these indexes on 100 palms of Burman males and have come to very interesting conclusions that convert entire X-ray skeletotopic work of Valglk (1953 vide 1934) to accurate metric expression in anatomical terms. Positioning of b & c and t relative to a-d has given the following results in a prelimissary study: (i) axial triradii have trends of more disto-lnar positioning relative to a-d on Rights than Lefts of the person same; (ii) digital triradii c & b have similarly disto-ulnar rather than proximo-radial trends but more so in favour of Lefts than Ri;h,- of the s a

236 CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY



y

II ~~~Q

3 4X 4 3m1m

Yi S

B CM A

471 16 15 14 13 12 1. 1 .1 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10I 1,1 1,21

M

FIG. 2. Diagrammatic representation of the instrumental design; details of the screw S shown separately for clarity.

Vol. 7 N Ao. 2 *April 1966 237



placed along the direction a-d while the ordinate (Y'OY) is placed at (for example) the digital triradius c; note the 2 distances in the direction Pc-a and Pc-d from the zero point to get not only Pc-a but also a-d (Pc-a plus Pc-d) so as to calculate the Pc-Positional Index. And so on for the rest.

If one is interested in measuring Geipel's angles "gamma" and "beta" or their supplementaries dca and dba (Sharma 1964c:21), one has to attach the movable arm M to the fixed arm F with the screw S. For the right side palmar print (or left palmar surface), bring the coordinate OX' to c-a level so that o and c concide, and then move the arm M in such a manner as to bring its graduated edge in contact with the digital triradius d. Read off the value of angle "gamma" on the clockwise (or outer graduation in the 4th quadrant (QIV). Subtract this value of "gamma" from 1800 to get the value of the sup- plementary angle dca, or else read it off directly by first placing OX upon c-d so that o and c coincide and then moving the arm M to the desired posi- tion of digital triradius c. And so on for other angles such as "beta," angle atd, and the constituent angles of the latter.

Symbols QI, QII, QIII, QIV refer to the form quadrants (0?-360?) as well as to the portions cut out of the transparent plastic sheet so as to permit more facile manipulation of the instrument by resting the fingers on the perforations.

Metric and other specifications of the instrument are detailed at right.

All graduations are on the under- surface of the transparent plastic sheet (in both parts of the instrument) as is customary to eliminate the error due to parallax. The edge providing for angular calibration on the protractor (the fixed part F) is bevelled, as is the linear scale CM to A and CM to B on the movable part M. Finally, all the distance around the central point 0 are to be taken as positive, as if using a graduated scale, in order to get the positive values of all the stated indices.

Reported by ABHIMANYU SHARMA

1) Rectangular axes. abscissa (x-axis) = X'0X ordinate (y-axis) = Y'0Y origin (point of intersection) = 0 4 quadrants = QI, QII, QIII, Qiv

2) Metric features. thickness of plastic sheet = 2 mm. exactly or

1/to inch approx. diameter of the protractor = 152 mm. radius of the protractor = 76 mm. di = diameter of circular perforation CF = 4 mm. de= diameter of the circular perforation CM = 6 mm.

3) Linear gradzations (0.5 mm.) on the fixed part F. x-axis: OX, OX' = 0- 76 mm. each y-axis: 0Y' = 0- 76 mm.

QY" = 0-125 mm.

4) Linear gradzations (0.5 mm.) on the movable part M. reference point 0 of CM to A = 0-125 mm. so that A is

congruent to Y" along the y-axis

reference point 0 of CM to B = 0- 76 mm. so that B is congruent to Y along y-axis and to X' along x-axis

5) Angzlar calibration (0.5?) on the protractor. Inside scale -00-3600 from QI to Qiv in the

counterclockwise direction. Outside scale = 0?-360? from QjV to QI in the

clockwise direction. 90? on inside scale meets 270? on outside scale at Y

1800 on inside scale meets 1800 on outside scale at X' 270? on inside scale meets 90? on outside scale at Y'

00 on inside scale meets 00 on outside scale at X

6) Details of the screw S. vertical perforation serving as an Eye-piece = VP diameter di of part Y = CM = 6 mm. diameter d2 of part Z = CF = 4 mm. height of the threaded part = 1/lo" or 2.5 mm. (approx.) height of the unthreaded part Y = 3 mm. (approx.) height of the cap part X = 4 mm. (approx.)

References Cited ALCIATI, G. 1961. Un nuovo indice per la

formulazione delle linear principali pal- mari. Rivista di Antropologia 48:139M-44.

CUMMINS, H., H. KEITH, C. MIDLO, R. B. MONTGOMERY, H. WILDER, and I. WIL- DER. 1929. Revised methods of inter- preting and formulating palmar dermatoglyphics. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 12:415-73.

CUMMINS, H., and C. MIDLO. 1943. Finger- prints, palms and soles: An introduction to dermatoglyphics. Philadelphia: Blakis- ton. --. 1961. Unabridged and corrected edition. Finger-prints, palms and soles: An introduction to dermatoglyphics. New

York: Dover Books. GEIPEL, G. 1963. Singular Punkte auf der

Handflache des Menschen: Ein weiterer Beitrag zum Problem des Winkels atd. Zeitschrift fur Morphologie und Anthro- pologie 54:71-81.

SHARMA, A. 1961. Correlation between angle atd at various positions of axial triradius with breadth-height index and somatic differences in the human hand as shown by palmar-print form index, and a methodological note on angle atd vis-a-vis different positions of axial triradii. Ex- cerpta Medica Foundation, International Congress Series no. 32: E 111, abstract no. 247. Republished in expanded form in Proceedings of the International Con-

gress of Human Genetics (Rome: Gregor Mendel Institute, 1963), pp. 1537-41. -, 1962. A study of palmar dermatoglyphics of Burmans: Certain fresh methodologic approaches as based on Burman data. Unpublished Ph.D. disserta- tion, University of Delhi, India. --. 1963a. Relative positioning of digital triradii d and a and the axial triradius with respect to each other determines the angle atd values. Homo 13:218-22.

1963b. Zur Variation der Lagebe- ziehungen zwischen den palmaren Trira- dien a, d und t. Anthropologischer An- zeiger 26:274-78.

1964a. Direct angle measure: A new instrument. Man 64:18-19 (no. 10).

238 CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY



-, 1964b. Metric evaluation of positioning of digital triradii b and c and axial triradii-positional and height- breadth indexes. In press. --. 1964c. Comparative methodology in dermatoglyphics. Paper read at the 3rd General Conference of the International

Committee for Standardization in Human Biology (Paris), Moscow, 1964. --. 1964d. Morphologically-evidenced ex- tent of fluctuation of BHI values at t, t', and t" for the corresponding different single angular values. Eastern Anthhro- pologist 17:23-30.

VAL9IK, J. A. 1933. X-ray skeletotopics of palmar dermatoglyphics with reference to some actual problems. Biologicke Listy 18:21-62. (English summary in Ameri- can Journal of Physical Anthropology 19:179-83.)

The So-called Gottweig Interstadial of the Wiirm Glaciation

During the last glaciation (Wiirm, Weichsel), Neanderthal man, bearer of the Middle Pleistocene Mousterian (for which the latest definite European C- 14 date so far is Gro-1556: about 47,000 B.P., at Gorham's Cave D near Gibraltar), was superseded by Homo sapiens fossilis, bearer of the Upper Palaeolithic. A number of Upper Palaeolithic civilizations quickly sprang up, populating the last part of the last glacial period (i.e., the decline of the Palaeolithic and of the Pleistocene). To reliably date these overlapping Upper Palaeolithic civilizations requires a very detailed geological subdivision of the Wiirm (the last) glacial period.

Both geologists and environmental archaeologists have studied the changes in climate recorded by fauna, flora, and vegetation. Most geologists, however, are accustomed to working with hundreds of thousands and millions of years, and therefore are not as interested in such a detailed subdivision. Accord- ing to the nuclear physicist Emiliani et al. (1961), palaeotemperature curves derived from deep sea cores of the

TEMPERATURE (C) o cni o

C\)

FIG. 1.

Caribbean Sea (Fig. 1) show that the Wiirm Glaciation lasted about 75,000 years (from ca. 85,000 to ca. 10,000 B.P.). 75,000 years are a trifle to the geologist, but not to the expert in Pleistocene archaeology. On the basis of these paeoleotemperature curves, Emiliani ascribed 2 cold oscillations to the Riss-Wiirm Interglacial, which preceded the Wiirm Glaciation. However,

these oscillations actually must be th 1st of 2 stadials of the last glaciatioi (Early Wiirmian), for no such osci] lations have been found in any Riss Wiirm Interglacial deposits.

The 1st step toward reliably sub dividing the Wiirm glacial period is t reconcile, if possible, the differer versions of Wiirm held by geologisi and by archaeologists. The majority c geologists adhere to Penck's theory of "uniform (einheitliche) Wiirm Glacia tion," that is, to a Wiirm Glaciation nc interrupted in the middle by a long nc full-glacial interval. Nearly all expert in Pleistocene archaeology, on the othe hand, have followed Breuil and Koc lowski (1931) and adopted Soergel Upper Pleistocene geochronolog] which posits a long, Mid-Wiirmian, nc full-glacial, but essentially interstadia interval (WI/II). The bone of conter tion is this middle period, later calle the "Gottweig Interstadial" (Fig. 2). propose to discover whether the disput is due to errors and/or misunderstanc ings and, if so, to suggest eventually dis carding them.

Archaeologists agreed with Soergel chronology (see his Plate of 1919 because stratigraphical and palaeor tological evidence, from their numerou excavations revealed an interstadia interval represented by a layer betwee the lower Wiirmian deposits containin Mousterian and late Acheulian asseim blages and upper Wiirmian strat containing the bulk of the Uppe Palaeolithic assemblages. Their ai chaeological stratigraphy and chronol ogy closely corresponded with Soergel Wiirmianloess stratigraphy and relativ chronology. Later, some prominent ex perts in Pleistocene geology also adopi ed Soergel's theory (e.g., Grahmanr Zeuner, Woldstedt only from 1956 1960, and myself). In fact, Soergel theory held world-wide acceptanc until 1962.

As is well known, Soergel (1915 palaeontologically proved that th eolian loess (fine grained, calcareous sandy, straw-colored loam-dust, depos ited by the wind) in Central Europ was the deposit of an arid, cold, glacia climate. He believed that the majc changes of climate during the Pleistc cene were best recorded by the loes with its fossil soils formed by inter stadial and interglacial interruptions c

A C HOLOCENE HOLOCENE

Late .Gacial

Un ifo rm WIII+ WII: Un I f o rm Secondrnain advance of the Last Glaciation

('1 I' h it Ii ch (interrupted by ("ein h eit{l ich e" v the Paudorf

In terstadial)

Wurm WII/I: Main Intersta- dial of the Last Glaciatlon

Glaciation WI: First main

advance of the Last Glaciation

Riss/Wurm In terglaciat (inclu- Saale/Weichsel ding the former or Eem

Achen and Laufen Interglacial In terstadiaIs)

RissII (Young Riss) SaaleII(Warthe) stadial of the stadia[ of the Riss Glaclation Saale Glaciation

FIG. 2.

loess deposition. He assigned to the Wiirm Glaciation the uppermost loess containing a weak, often missing, fossil soil (Paudorf soil, WII/III), which lay above a strong fossil soil ("G6ttweig soil," W I/II), which rested above a 3rd, stronger fossil soil (Riss/Wiirm). This 3rd soil is thought to be the weathered rind of the more con- solidated lower loess, which belonged to to the Riss-Saale (the previous) glaciation.

Soergel divided the Wiirm Glaciation into 3 stages characterized by these main loess depositions: Wiirm I, II, and III. Unfortunately, he correlated his Wiirm I with the Warthe moraines, which at that time were assigned by the Geological Survey of Prussia to the Weichsel maximum. According to Woldstedt (1958:20-2), however, the Warthe phase is the last stadial of Riss- Saale, the preceding glaciation. By his term Wiirm I, of course, Soergel meant an early Wiirmian phase and not the last stadial of Riss-Saale. Since Penck (1938) could not find any glacio-mor- phological formation of Soergel's Wiirm I, he refused to accept Soergel's

Vol. 7 * No. 2 * April 1966 239



the linear coordinate-cum-angle measure: a multi-purpose tool

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