Craniometry and physical anthropology

The Dutch scholar Pieter Camper (1722–89), an early craniometric theoretician, used "craniometry" (interior skull-volume measurement) to scientifically justify racial differences. In 1770, he conceived of the facial angle to measure intelligence among species of men. The facial angle was formed by drawing two lines: a horizontal line from nostril to ear; and a vertical line from the upper-jawbone prominence to the forehead prominence. Camper’s craniometry reported that antique statues (the Græco–Roman ideal) had a 90-degree facial angle, Europeans an 80-degree angle, Blacks a 70-degree angle, and the orangutan a 58-degree facial angle — thus he established a racist biological hierarchy for mankind, per the Decadent conception of history. Such scientific racist researches were continued by the naturalist Étienne Geoffray Saint-Hilaire (1772–1844) and the anthropologist Paul Broca (1824–80).

The Mismeasure of Man, an oft-cited work critical of the theories of eugenicists and phrenologists (1981)

In the 19th century, an early physical anthropologist, the American physician Samuel George Morton (1799–1851), collected human skulls from worldwide, and attempted a logical, classification scheme. Influenced by contemporary racialist theory, Dr Morton said he could judge racial intellectual capacity by measuring the interior cranial capacity, hence a large skull denoted a large brain, thus high intellectual capacity, conversely, small skull denoted a small brain, thus low intellectual capacity; superior and inferior established.

The craniometric data yielded Morton the information with which to determine the point at whichCaucasians ceased being racial Caucasians, and the point where racial Negro-ness began. The craniometry of Ancient Eqyptian skulls determined that the ancient Egyptians were white people, not black-skinned Africans. Dr Morton’s major monographs, Crania Americana (1839), An Inquiry into the Distinctive Characteristics of the Aboriginal Race of America (1844), and Crania Aegyptiaca (1844) synthesize hisracialist presumptions. In Crania Americana, he reported that the mean cranial capacity of white skulls was 87 in.³ (1,425 cm³); the mean cranial capacity of black skulls was 78 in.³ (1,278 cm³); and the mean cranial capacity of Native American skulls was 82 in.³ (1,344 cm³).

In The Mismeasure of Man (1981), the historian of science Stephen Jay Gould claimed that Samuel Morton had falsified the craniometric data, perhaps inadvertently over-packing some skulls, to so produce results that would legitimize the racist presumptions he was attempting to prove. A subsequent study by John Michael found Morton's original data to be more accurate than Gould describes, concluding that "[c]ontrary to Gould's interpretation...
Morton's research was conducted with integrity."

In 1873, Paul Broca, founder of the Anthropological Society of Paris (1859), found the same pattern of measures — that Crania Americana reported — by weighing specimen brains atautopsy. Other historical studies, proposing a black race–white race, intelligence–brain size difference, include those by Bean (1906), Mall (1909), Pearl (1934), and Vint (1934).

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Scientific racism - Our opinions

”I have a hard time seeing this as racism, for me it is simply research about the biological differences between races. This is what the racial anthropology scientists should try to achieve; searching for the answer. I can’t see the wrong in this. The wrongness comes with the people, the ones that use these differences to claim that they are superior. "Science is science and this fact proves that I and my race are better" - this is the wrongness.”    -Emelie

"Of course the scientists were white themselves and their theory claimed that "their" people were better and smarter.Why do some white people have to assert themselves against black and think of a reason to be better? We are all the same!I think most of the racism is based on ignorance and fear of the unknown. It's always easyer to point out the weaknesses of others and hide their own."    - Erika

“I think this article is racist. Pieter Camper claims that the bigger brain the smarter man. Yes, I agree that a human has a larger brain than an orangutan and we are more intellectual. I think it is wrong to divide humans in black, white, Americans and Europeans. I think it is small differences between us. The most important is that you use your brain in a correct way. If you have a brain size 83 or 86 it is not a big deal but to use your brain in correct way is intellectual.”  - Helena