| Human head | |
|---|---|
 Thehuman head drawn byLeonardo da Vinci | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | caput |
| MeSH | D006257 |
| TA98 | A01.1.00.001 |
| TA2 | 98 |
| FMA | 7154 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
In human anatomy, thehead is at the top of thehuman body. It supports theface and is maintained by theskull, which itself encloses thebrain.
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The human head consists of a fleshy outer portion, which surrounds the bonyskull. The brain is enclosed within the skull. There are 22 bones in the human head. The head rests on theneck, and the sevencervical vertebrae support it. The human head typically weighs between 2.3 and 5 kilograms (5.1 and 11.0 lb) Over 98% of humans fit into this range. There have been odd incidences where human beings have abnormally small or large heads. The Zika virus was responsible for underdeveloped heads in the early 2000s.
The face is theanterior part of the head, containing theeyes,nose, andmouth. On either side of the mouth, thecheeks provide a fleshy border to theoral cavity. The ears sit to either side of the head.
The head receives blood supply through the internal and externalcarotid arteries. These supply the area outside of the skull (external carotid artery) and inside of the skull (internal carotid artery). The area inside the skull also receives blood supply from thevertebral arteries, which travel up through the cervical vertebrae.
The twelve pairs ofcranial nerves provide the majority of nervous control to the head. The sensation to the face is provided by the branches of thetrigeminal nerve, the fifthcranial nerve. Sensation to other portions of the head is provided by thecervical nerves.
Modern texts are in agreement about whichareas of the skin are served by which nerves, but there are minor variations in some of the details. The borders designated by diagrams in the 1918 edition ofGray's Anatomy are similar but not identical to those generally accepted today.
The cutaneous innervation of the head is as follows:
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The head containssensory organs: two eyes, two ears, a nose andtongue inside of the mouth. It also houses thebrain. Together, these organs function as a processing center for the body by relaying sensory information to the brain. Humans can process information faster by having this central nerve cluster.
Forhumans, the front of the head (the face) is the main distinguishing feature between different people due to its easily discernible features, such as eye and hair colors, shapes of the sensory organs, and the wrinkles. Humans easily differentiate between faces because of the brain's predisposition toward facial recognition. When observing a relatively unfamiliar species, all faces seem nearly identical. Human infants are biologically programmed to recognize subtle differences in anthropomorphic facial features.[1]
People who have greater than average intelligence are sometimes depicted in cartoons as having bigger heads as a way of notionally indicating that they have a "larger head". Additionally, inscience fiction, anextraterrestrial having a big head is often symbolic of high intelligence. Despite this depiction, advances inneurobiology have shown that the functional diversity of the brain means that a difference in overall brain size is only slightly to moderately correlated to differences in overall intelligence between two humans.[2]
The head is a source for many metaphors andmetonymies inhuman language, including referring to things typically near the human head ( "the head of the bed"), things physically similar to the way a head is arranged spatially to a body ("the head of the table"), metaphorically ("the head of the class"), and things that represent some characteristics associated with the head, such as intelligence ("there are a lot of good heads in this company").[3]
Ancient Greeks had a method for evaluatingsexual attractiveness based on theGolden ratio, part of which included measurements of the head.[4]
Headhunting is the practice of taking andpreserving a person's head after killing the person. Headhunting has been practiced across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania for millennia.[5]
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Headpieces can signify status, origin, religious/spiritual beliefs, social grouping, team affiliation, occupation, or fashion choices.
In many cultures, covering the head is seen as a sign of respect. Often, some or all of the head must be covered and veiled when entering holy places or places of prayer. For many centuries, women in Europe, theMiddle East, andSouth Asia have covered their head hair as a sign of modesty. This trend has changed drastically in Europe in the 20th century, although is still observed in other parts of the world. In addition, a number of religions require men to wear specific head clothing—such as theIslamictaqiyah,Jewishyarmulke, or theSikh turban. The same goes for women with theMuslimhijab orChristian nun'shabit.
Ahat is a head covering that can serve a variety of purposes. Hats may be worn as part of a uniform or used as a protective device, such as ahard hat, a covering for warmth, a covering that meets sensory needs in someneurodivergent people, or a fashion accessory. Hats can also be indicative of social status in some areas of the world.
While numerous charts detailing head sizes in infants and children exist, most do not measure average head circumference past the age of 21. Reference charts for adult head circumference also generally featurehomogeneous samples and fail to take height and weight into account.[6]
One study in the United States estimated the average human head circumference to be 57 centimetres (22+1⁄2 in) in males and55 centimetres (21+3⁄4 in) in females.[7][dubious –discuss] A British study byNewcastle University showed an average size of 57.2 cm for males and 55.2 cm for females with average size varying proportionally with height[8]
Macrocephaly can be an indicator of increased risk for some types of cancer in individuals who carry the genetic mutation that causesCowden syndrome. For adults, this refers to head sizes greater than 58 centimeters in men or greater than 57 centimeters in women.[9][10]
