7

teeth in perfect alinement: in twenty the incisors were slightly out of
alinement; in eight markedly out; and in six they were in extreme dis-
arrangement. The front teeth, then, of thirty-four (79 per cent) of these
forty-three individuals were to a greater or less extent in mis-alinement.
This proportion is comparable with that for Chipewyan Indians, of whom
approximately 70 per cent had irregular incisor teeth.

The teeth were systematically examined for caries. If any teeth
were found to be decayed or missing their appropriate spaces were scored
across on prepared blank forms. Though incipient trouble may easily
have escaped notice, it is not probable that any cavity of appreciable size
or that any missing tooth went unnoticed. It was not at all unusual to
find among Beaver Indians, as it was among Indians examined elsewhere,
a number of the middle aged and old whose third molar teeth had never
erupted. These individuals state they have never had a tooth extracted
or drop out. Rudimentary third molars have also been observed. From
Appendix III on page 32 the details of the distribution of the decayed
teeth may be seen. From this appendix it has been calculated that
72 per cent of the twenty-nine Beaver men (ages 20 to 59 years) had sound
teeth. The eight who made up the remaining 28 per cent had among
them eighteen carious teeth. Only two of the six old men had sound teeth.
The other four had among them twenty-one carious teeth. Seven of the
eleven women had sound teeth; the remaining four had among them
thirteen carious teeth. One of the two old women had ten carious teeth.

The frequency with which the various teeth of the eight male and four
female adult Beavers (ages 20 to 59 years) who suffered from caries were
affected is shown on a percentage basis in the following table. The actual
number of teeth affected was thirty-one. The calculations are made to
full figures.

TasLe VI
Right side | Left side
Ms} Mz) Mi} Pmg] Pmi| C Io) In| In| Ie} C 1 Pmy Pmz2| Mi) Me] Ms] Total
(Uppereeseee 10 4 Refer sates a (ae |---| 5 Meslay | chaste || Aerie eer. Ieee (Gee | 6] 19
Lower....... 23 3 pe ellodaoaleadubsandlloseallbotalesoalléscalltace clleagocd 6 | 16 | 26 80

The thirty-one carious teeth found among the twelve adults of under
sixty years were, with only one exception, molars; the exception being a
lateral upper incisor. Lower teeth were affected more commonly than
upper in the ratio of 81:19. This high ratio is no doubt accounted for
by the smallness of the data, since in northeastern Manitoba where three
hundred and nine carious teeth were detected the ratio was 70:30, and
around lake Athabaska where one hundred and twenty-six carious teeth
were detected the ratio was 63:37.

Among the thirty-five male and thirteen female Beavers the ring
finger was, in all instances but one, longer or more projecting than the
index; the exception being a man (No. 3) both of whose index fingers
were equal in length to his ring fingers. He, therefore, was the one indi-
vidual out of forty-eight who did not possess the primitive digital formula
Sit ee ee Oo

1These observations were made by simple inspection; not by the precise instrumental methods recently em-

ployed by George, who finds that in white people the ring finger is longer in 48 per cent, the index finger is longer

a 33 per cent, and both of equal length in 19 per cent. George, R.: “‘Human Finger Types”; Anat. Rec., vol. 46,
o. 2 (1980).