How ancient cultural knowledge understood fontanelles centuries before modern anatomy
Vibrant humans of this generation, Welcome to the blog chain! Today, I'll share fascinating details about the human infant skull. I'm pretty sure many of us aren't aware that a baby's skull isn't a single bone but actually made of different bones.
In Yoruba culture, we call the fontanelle "Awuje" (not awujo, which means "society"). Some elders say they can "see the brain through it." Many confuse awuje with oka ori—the visible network of nerves and blood vessels beneath the scalp. Now that I've grown, I understand their wisdom scientifically: this cranial region doesn't fully ossify in infants.
Figure 1:Anterior Fontanelle (Awuje) of Infant SkullAnatomist90, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In Figure 1 above, the anterior fontanelle represents the commonly known awuje. Though infants have multiple fontanelles, the Yoruba primarily use this term for the anterior one.
Figure 2: Historical infant skull with severe hydrocephalus showing:A. Pathologically enlarged anterior fontanelle (awuje)B. Suture diastasisC. Characteristic "sunset eyes" orbital deformation(By Unknown author - University of Rochester, GFDL, Link)
In Figure 2 above, the image depicts severe hydrocephalus. The visible vascular patterns on the scalp represent what Yoruba tradition calls oka ori - the prominent network of blood vessels that becomes especially noticeable when the scalp is distended by fluid accumulation.
Many parents get scared when the anterior fontanelle pulsates—in fact, I was once scared too! But today I can reassure you: this is completely normal.
Click to see a pulsating frontanalle
The lambda (posterior fontanelle) typically closes by 2-3 months, while the bregma (anterior fontanelle) closes by 18-24 months. We also have other fontanelles such as the sphenoidal (anterolateral) and mastoid (posterolateral) fontanelles, which close by approximately 6 months and 6-24 months respectively. The pterion or sylvian point (formerly the sphenoidal fontanelle) fully ossifies by age 20 -30 years. Similarly, the asterion (formerly the mastoid fontanelle) ossifies between 20 -30 years. These landmarks represent suture junctions rather than individual sutures
📊 Major Cranial Sutures & Fusion Timeline
Suture | Location | Fusion Period | Clinical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Metopic (Frontal) | Midline of frontal bone | 6 months – 2 yrs | Persistence in ~10% adults (metopism). |
Sagittal | Between parietal bones (midline) | 29 yrs | Early fusion → scaphocephaly (narrow skull). |
Coronal | Frontal + parietal bones (side-to-side) | 28– 49 yrs | Craniosynostosis → asymmetrical skull. |
Lambdoid | Parietal + occipital bones (back of skull) | 30 yrs and above | Rarely fuses completely; mimics fractures. |
Squamosal | Temporal + parietal bones (lateral skull) | 40+ yrs | Delayed fusion; aids forensic age estimation. |
Or
The video above shows former fontanelle locations in the adult skull, now visible as fused sutures.
Thanks for visiting!
Acknowledgement: @Stemsocial // #BASTION #qurator #ecency