Comparative Anatomical Analysis of the Visceral and Cerebral Parts of the Skull in Terms of Ontogenesis and Phylogenesis

The article is a literature review devoted to the comparative anatomy of the cerebral (neurocranium) and visceral (splanchnocranium, viscerocranium) parts of the human skull in ontogenesis and phylogenesis. The embryonic sources of both parts (neural crest, paraxial mesoderm), the types of ossification, the chondrocranium–dermatocranium–splanchnocranium concept, postnatal growth patterns, and evolutionary trends from fishes to Homo sapiens are discussed. Special attention is given to the reduction of the facial skeleton, the expansion of the brain case, the flexion of the cranial base and the repositioning of the foramen magnum as consequences of encephalization and bipedalism, and to congenital anomalies which can be interpreted from the point of view of development and evolution. The review is based on published data and contains no original clinical observations.