Head breadth and length, and cephalic index were determined in 718 Israeli Jewish males divided into four groups according to provenance of the subjects, or of their parents, as follows: 424 from Eastern Europe, 116 from Central Europe, 106 from the Middle East and 72 from North Africa. Additionally, individuals from 13 families of European extraction, comprising 66 members from three generations, the first of which was born in Europe and the next two in Israel, were also studied. In the latter, a statistically significant decrease in the cephalic index was noted in Israeli-born individuals when compared with their European-born parents. Each of the four groups of non-related males was also divided into two subgroups according to place of birth, whether in Israel or abroad, and again the same tendency to dolicocephalization was observed in the two groups of European origin. Thus the cephalic index was 83-61 and 79-73 in the individuals born in Eastern and Central Europe, respectively, vs 77-68, and 77-30 in the Israeli-born individuals of the corresponding parents' origin. In the two non-European groups, such modifications in the cephalic index were not observed. The influence of environmental conditions, probably commencing in the intra-uterine developmental period, is deemed to be responsible for the observed dolicocephalization. © 1983 Academic Press Inc. (London) Limited.

Cephalic morphology Migration Environment

heredity ethnic or racial aspects geographic distribution normal human head cephalic index human experiment human cephalometry migration