On Injuries of the Head   

PART 1

Men’S heads are by no means all like to one another, nor are the
sutures of the head of all men constructed in the same form. Thus,
whoever has a prominence in the anterior part of the head (by prominence
is meant the round protuberant part of the bone which projects beyond
the rest of it), in him the sutures of the head take the form of the
Greek letter tau, T; for the head has the shorter line running transverse
before the prominence, while the other line runs through the middle
of the head, all the way to the neck. But whoever has the prominence
in the back part of the head, in him the sutures are constructed in
quite the opposite form to the former; for in this case the shorter
line runs in front of the prominence, while the longer runs through
the middle all along to the forehead. But whoever has a prominence
of the head both before and behind, in him the sutures resemble the
Greek letter eta E; for the long lines of the letter run transverse
before each prominence while the short one runs through the middle
and terminates in the long lines. But whoever has no prominence on
either part he has the sutures of the head resembling the Greek letter
chi; for the one line comes transverse to the temple while the other
passes along the middle of the head. The bone at the middle of the
head is double, the hardest and most compact part being the upper
portion, where it is connected with the skin, and the lowest, where
it is connected with the meninx (dura mater); and from the uppermost
and lowermost parts the bone gradually becomes softer and less compact,
till you come to the diploe. The diploe is the most porous, the softest,
and most cavernous part. But the whole bone of the head, with the
exception of a small portion of the uppermost and lowermost portions
of it, is like a sponge; and the bone has in it many juicy substances,
like caruncles; and if one will rub them with the fingers, some blood
will issue from them. There are also in the bone certain very slender
and hollow vessels full of blood. So it is with regard to hardness,
softness, and porosity.

PART 2

In respect to thickness and thinness; the thinnest and weakest part
of the whole head is the part about the bregma; and the bone there
has the smallest and thinnest covering of flesh upon it, and the largest
proportion of brain is situated in that region of the head. And hence
it happens that from similar or even smaller wounds and instruments,
when a person is wounded to the same or a less degree, the bone of
the head there is more contused, fractured, and depressed; and that
injuries there are more deadly and more difficult to cure; and it
is more difficult to save one’s life in injuries there than in any
other part of the head; that from having sustained a similar or even
a less wound a man will die, and that, too, in a shorter space of
time than from a wound in any other part of the head. For the brain
about the bregma feels more quickly and strongly any mischief that
may occur to the flesh or the bone; for the brain about the bregma
is in largest quantity, and is covered by the thinnest bone and the
least flesh. Of the other portions, the weakest is that about the
temples; for it is the conjunction of the lower jaw with the cranium,
and there is motion there up and down as at a joint; and the organ
of hearing is near it; and further, a hollow and important vein runs
along the temple. But the whole bone of the head behind the vertex
and the ear is stronger than the whole anterior part, and the bone
itself has a larger and deeper covering of flesh upon it. And hence
it follows, that when exposed to the same or even greater injuries
from instruments of the same or greater size, the bone is less liable
to be fractured and depressed than elsewhere; and that in a fatal
accident the patient will live longer when the wound is in the posterior
part of the head than when elsewhere; and that pus takes longer time
to form and penetrate through the bone to the brain, owing to the