stomachs. Since then (1994), the number of SIDS
deaths has decreased markedly. What do you think
has happened to the skulls of many of those
infants? Explain.
- A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after
having diarrhea for 2 days. The nurse checks the
baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears
sunken. What has caused this? - Look at the lateral view of the adult skull in Fig.
6–5 and notice the size of the face part in propor-
tion to the braincase part. Compare the infant skull
in Fig. 6–2, and notice how small the infant face is,
relative to the size of the braincase. There is a very
good reason for this. What do you think it is? - Look at the photograph here, Question Fig. 6–A.
Name the bone and the type of section in which it
is cut. What are the large arrows indicating? What
are the smaller arrows indicating? Look carefully
at this site, describe it, and explain possible conse-
quences.
134 The Skeletal System
Question Figure 6–A (Photograph by Dan Kaufman.)