Chapter L: Munsee and White Femora: Third Trochanter or Gluteal Tuberosity

--------+--------+------------+---------------------
|Subjects| Third | Ridge
| | trochanter +----------+----------
| | absent | Moderate |Pronounced
--------+--------+------------+----------+----------
Munsee: | | Per cent |Per cent |Per cent
Male | (17) | 30 | 40 | —
Female| (14) | 32 | 36 | —
Whites: | | | |
Male | (200) | 43 | 32 | 4.5
Female| (120) | 45 | 31 | 5
--------+--------+------------+----------+----------
--------+---------------------+---------------------
| Oblong tuberosity | Round tuberosity
|----------+----------+----------+----------
| Moderate |Pronounced| Moderate |Pronounced
--------+----------+----------+----------+----------
Munsee: |Per cent |Per cent |Per cent |Per cent
Male | 26 | — | 6 | —
Female| 22 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5
Whites: | | | |
Male | 9 | 5 | 3.5 | 3
Female| 12.5 | 1.7 | 5 | —
--------+----------+----------+----------+----------

It is here seen that the third trochanter is strictly absent in less than a third of the male as well as of the female bones of the Munsee; a small to pronounced oblong tuberosity exists in 26 per cent of the males, and practically the same proportion (25.5 per cent) of the females, while a rounded tuberosity is found in 6 per cent of the males and in 7 per cent of the females. Among the previously reported Arkansas and Louisiana Indian femora, the frequency of the third trochanter in most of its forms was somewhat greater. Among the ordinary American whites, it will be observed from the above figures, there is in both sexes a more frequent complete absence of the third trochanter in any form than in the Munsee; there is less frequency of the moderate ridge and moderate oblong tuberosity; and a greater frequency of pronounced grades of both ridge and oblong tuberosity, while the occurrence of round tuberosity is about even in the two groups. Subtrochanteric fossa in place of or beside a prominence was observed in Munsee adults in five cases—four males and one female. In adolescents it was more frequent.

TIBIA

The results of the several measurements obtained on the Munsee tibiæ are shown below.

The mean length of the bone, taking the two sides together, is 38.5 cm. in the males and 35.3 cm. in the females. The length of the female bone stands to that of the male as 91.7 to 100, which is lower than was obtained on the tibiæ from Louisiana, where the proportion was 93.7, or than that prevailing among whites, where it is even slightly higher (94.6 in miscellaneous New York whites). The Munsee female tibiæ are therefore relatively somewhat short, paralleling to some extent what was found with reference to the radius. Lesser differences of the same nature is found in probably all larger racial groups. Why the feature should be more pronounced in the Munsee than in other Indians is difficult of explanation; but, as will be seen later, this is not the only peculiarity of the female Munsee tibiæ.