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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Letter of the Day: October 24

Lima Peru Oct 24th 1888

Dr. J.S. Billings
Washington D.C.

Dear Sir-

Confirming my letter to you of the 10th inst. I am since in receipt of your communication, dated Sept 11th ult. I think you will find in my * last shipment what you desire. I took the precaution to carefully wrap up two skulls with the Hyoid bone adhering; also a skull cut in two with one joint of the hyoid bone still in its place. I would not have recognised (sic) the bone by the drawing you sent me as they do not occur in that shape with the Peruvians but as a general thing they are shorter than the specimens I have sent you. I have always taken an interest when examining skulls and digging up mummies to look for this bone but it is surprising how often they fail to exist. It seems that in some cadavers they must have decayed in the first process of decomposition. I shall however give myself more pains in any future expeditions to look more carefull (sic) into the matter and gather the different sizes of both you and old to make a proper comparison.

Truly Yours

Geo Kiefer

*Received Nov. 10, 1888.
A.M.M. Nos. 2977-2995 Anat. Sect.

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