Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1885 — CHARACTERISTICS OF CRIMINALS. [ARTICLE]

CHARACTERISTICS OF CRIMINALS.

Natural Peculiarities of European Murderer* and Thieves. Recently, in France, considerable at- ' tention has been paid to an examiner tion of the criminal class with reference to its physical and associated characteristics. M. Lacassagne has drawn attention io the frequency of tattooing among criminals, and the violent nature of the scenes depicted by them in this voluntary mutilation. The game writer has pointed out that criminals, as a class, ate tall. Thus in 800 subjects examined by him, 623 were taller by six centimeters than the average, and some exceed the normal height by ten and twenty centimeters. These observations were corroborated by M. Ferri in Italy. In 1882 Dr. Manouvrier remarked that among criminals, notoriously with murderers, the jaw is more developed than is usnal; and that, while the ora-nio-mandibular index normally varies between 12.8 and 13, among the convicts it attains the remarkable number of 14.7. MM. Hager and Dallemagne, in a comparative study of the skulls of assassins and ordinary persons, have confirmed the statement that the forward projection of the skull is greater among the former. They have also shown that criminals have a larger facial index and a smaller vertical index than the peaceable citizens, but no difference is observed in the cephalic index. M. Hager has Affirmed the larger capacity of the criminal skull over that of the usual type, the relative proportions being as 1,538 is to 1,490. This, however, has been contradicted by a number of observers who claim the reverse, but it is suggested that it may be explained by supposing that the formed examined the crania of murderers only; while in the latter studies those of all classes were included, among which the incendiaries are said to have small heads. Mr. Flesch has said that affections of the heart exist among criminals to the extent of 20 per cent.; the persistence of Botal’s orifice, 10 per cent; contradiction of* the vascular system, 5.5 per cent. But his researches upon cerebral lesions are much more important. He has demonstrated a certain atavism in the cerebral convolutions, already indicated by Benedict, as, for instance, the medium lobe of the brain being shaped as among the mammals, the separation of the eulcarian fissure from the occipital, the opening of the fissure of Sylvius, and the formation of an operculum of the occipital lobe. Histology has also detected certain anomalies in the brains of those criminals whose autopsy has been made. Thus Spika has found the pigmentation of the nucleum of the tenth, seventh, and fifth in a murderer’s brain; also Golgi and Marchi have detected the pigmentation of the nervous cells in the brain of a conviot. The school of criminal anthropology in Italy has also made important contributions to this list of facts. M. Mano has examined the hands of criminals, and he has discovered among individualsconvictedfor murder, among those guilty of inflicting wounds, a great preponderance of large and short hands; while with thieves* the frequency of. long and narrow hands is considerable. As to the question of tattooing that the larger number of tattooed persons is among the assassins and assailants. M. Lombraso, together with M. Mano, has studied crimiriality among infants. They examined 980 infants, and especially 160 from the houses of refuge. They found that the criminal type could be recognized at that age, associated with bad tendencies, in the proportion of 7.4 per cent. The loss of a moral sense was recognized in 41 per cent., and a veritable propensity to crime in 10 per cent. Out of 29 infants they have observed the disappearance of thacriminal tendencies partly through non-inheritance, partly under the beneficial 4 influence of their surroundings, and partly because their criminal passions, existing at a certain period, disappear in maturity. The typical criminal physiognomy has been recogpized among murderers in Germany in the proportion of 36 per cent., among thieves to that of 25 per cent., among insolvents and in persons convicted of bigamy to the extent of 6 per cent. Among females this type was found in 28 per cent. With ordinary men and women this type was only found 14 times among 815 individuals, eight of whom were doubtful. Tomaeira, Bono, and Depaoli have asserted the great capacity of the orbits or eyesockets and prevalent daltonism. M. Bono also insists upon the swiftness of vision among criminals. But perhaps the most curious observations were made upon the different strength of the two hands. —New York Telegram.