May E, Martins M
Anat Anz. 1985;160(3):179-202.
The ribs of 9 human beings and 6 animal-primates (4 Pongidae and 2 Cercopithecidae of 2 different species) had been examined metrically with regard to their relative dimensions and proportions. Special care was taken as well of the differentiation of single ribs of one individual as of interspecific differentiation. Generally the Pongidae show the greatest relative-dimensions. This concerns both the diameter as the length. The individuals of the genus Homo have medium-sized dimensions, while the Cercopithecidae have the smallest. In this way a first grouping of the measurements becomes possible. As for the rib-diameter Homo concurs more with the Pongidae than with the Cercopithecidae. At first from the rib-proportions resulted an indication to special similarity between the Pongidae and recent man from whom the Cercopithecidae distinctively differ as it is shown by the indices angulus-sternal end/tuberculum-angulus. A divariate presentation of the measurements of this index, however, proves that Homo concerning the single measurements occupies an intermediate position between the Pongidae and the Cercopithecidae in this case, too (Fig. 5). The examination of the craniocaudal trend of different ribmeasurements (length, depth and area of the rib-arc) produced a special similarity of the 4 upper ribs between the Pongidae and Homo. In the region of the lower chest a great conformity between the Pongidae and the Cercopithecidae became obvious in this respect. A different trend shows up in Homo - probably as an expression of the transformation-process in the human chest. The intraspecific morphometric discrimination of the single ribs proves to be especially difficult, above all between the 7th to 10th rib, if the ribs of an individual are not completely present. It is, however, possible in some cases by means of some measurements and indices of these ribs.
对9名人类和6只灵长类动物（4只猩猩科和2只来自2个不同物种的猕猴科）的肋骨进行了测量，以研究它们的相对尺寸和比例。在测量过程中，特别注意了个体单根肋骨的差异以及种间差异。一般来说，猩猩科的肋骨相对尺寸最大，这在直径和长度方面都有所体现。人类属的个体尺寸中等，而猕猴科的尺寸最小。这样就有可能对测量数据进行初步分组。就肋骨直径而言，人类与猩猩科比与猕猴科更为接近。最初，从肋骨比例来看，猩猩科与现代人之间存在特殊的相似性，而猕猴科与之明显不同，这通过胸骨端角/角结节指数可以看出。然而，对该指数测量值的双变量呈现表明，在这种情况下，就单个测量值而言，人类在猩猩科和猕猴科之间也处于中间位置（图5）。对不同肋骨测量值（肋骨弧的长度、深度和面积）的头尾方向趋势进行检查后发现，猩猩科和人类的上4根肋骨有特殊的相似性。在胸部下方区域，猩猩科和猕猴科在这方面表现出很大的一致性。人类则呈现出不同的趋势——这可能是人类胸部转化过程的一种表现。如果个体的肋骨不完全完整，对单根肋骨进行种内形态测量鉴别尤其困难，尤其是在第7至第10根肋骨之间。不过，在某些情况下，通过对这些肋骨的一些测量和指数还是有可能做到的。
