The allometric growth of the skull. General mode and prediction of facial growth.

Analysis of skull growth in three dimensions indicates that the process is precise and ordered. It can be logarithmically represented as an expansive process taking place in straight lines. This permits prediction of future shape by forward projection of lines derived from at least two records taken at an early age. Although these longitudinal studies have been carried out in animals, the similarity between human and animal cross-sectional material suggests that the mode of growth of the human skull follows the same principles. It should be possible, with the development of more accurate recording techniques suitable for analysis in three dimensions, to project the future shape of the human skull with a substantial degree of accuracy.