Ask the ChatbotGames & QuizzesHistory & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography & TravelArts & CultureProConMoneyVideos
Anders Adolf Retzius
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Related Questions
Read Next
Thermonuclear hydrogen bomb, code-named MIKE, detonated in the Marshall Islands in the fall of 1952. Photo taken at a height of 12,000 feet, 50 miles from the detonation site. (Photo 6 of a series of 8) Atomic bomb explosion nuclear energy hydrogen energy
The Anthropocene Epoch: Adding Humans to the Chart of Geologic Time
pulmonary veins and arteries, circulation, cardiovascular system, human anatomy, (Netter replacement project - SSC)
13 Questions About How the Human Body Works Answered
Artist's reconstruction of Saccorhytus coronarius, based on the original fossil finds. The actual creature was probably no more than a millimeter in size.
The Oldest Human Ancestor
H1N1 influenza virus particles. Colorized transmission electron micrograph. Surface proteins on surface of the virus particles shown in black. Influenza flu
10 Ways of Looking at Cells
Endoplasmic reticulum. cell biology
6 Cell Organelles
Discover
Close-up of crocodile eye; location unknown (rainforest, reptile).
What’s the Difference Between Alligators and Crocodiles?
pyramid sunset, egypt
What’s Inside the Great Pyramid?
magic 8 ball
Where Did the Idea for the Magic 8 Ball Come From?
World Data Locator Map: Australia
Is Australia an Island?
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)
All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained
number zero, 0 balloon
Is Zero an Even or an Odd Number?

Anders Adolf Retzius

Swedish anatomist and anthropologist
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Quick Facts
Born:
Oct. 13, 1796, Lund, Swed.
Died:
April 18, 1860, Stockholm (aged 63)
Subjects Of Study:
skull
human being
See all related content

Anders Adolf Retzius (born Oct. 13, 1796, Lund, Swed.—died April 18, 1860, Stockholm) was an anatomist and anthropologist who is best known for his pioneer studies in craniometry (measurement of the skull as a means of establishing the characteristics of human fossil remains).

A professor of anatomy and physiology at the Karolinska Medic-Kirurgiska Institutet, Stockholm (1824–60), he invented (1842) the cranial, or cephalic, index (the ratio of the width to the length—front to back—of the skull, multiplied by 100) as a convenient preliminary indication of the race to which an individual belonged. Retzius also described convolutions of the cerebral cortex (“gyri of Retzius”), a ligament in the ankle, and the veins running from the wall of the small intestine to the branches of the inferior vena cava.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Britannica Chatbot logo

Britannica Chatbot

Chatbot answers are created from Britannica articles using AI. This is a beta feature. AI answers may contain errors. Please verify important information using Britannica articles. About Britannica AI.