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I had hardly expected so dolichocephalic a skull or such well-marked supra-orbital development. Would you have any objection to my running my finger along your parietal fissure? A cast of your skull, sir, until the original is available, would be an ornament to any anthropological museum. It is not my intention to be fulsome, but I confess that I covet your skull.
Arthur Conan Doyle
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects a fascination with the human skull, emphasizing both curiosity and admiration for physical characteristics.

In this quote, Arthur Conan Doyle expresses a blend of scientific curiosity and a whimsical admiration for the unique features of a human skull. The speaker's comments about the skull's structure, such as its 'dolichocephalic' shape and 'supra-orbital development', reveal an appreciation for human anatomy that extends beyond mere physical observation to a deeper fascination with what these features represent in terms of individuality and the study of humanity itself.

Themes

SkullAnthropologyHumanityCuriosityAdmiration

In practice

Example use cases

In a lecture on anthropology, one might quote this to illustrate the fascination with human evolution.

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I could not rest, Watson, I could not sit quiet in my chair, if I thought that such a man as Professor Moriarty were walking the streets of London unchallenged.
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It seems very strange ... that in the course of the world's history so obvious an improvement should never have been adopted. ... The next generation of Britishers would be the better for having had this extra hour of daylight in their childhood.
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