Modern Habsburg Jaw

But while the line was intact this inbreeding caused this royal family to exhibit a number of peculiar physical traits especially one known as the habsburg jaw.

Modern habsburg jaw. The researchers were interested in mandibular prognathism perhaps better known as the famous habsburg jaw this was a facial deformity that affected some of the habsburgs notably including king. The researchers led by geneticist román vilas from spain s. A new report at smithsonian takes a look back at one of the most distinctive features of a royal family that once ruled much of europe over the course of several centuries. Besides their long stints in the thrones of numerous countries they re also known for the distinctive habsburg jaw.

The most salient indicator of the family s inbreeding the habsburg jaw is what doctors refer to as mandibular prognathism. Prognathism also known as the habsburg jaw is a positional relationship of the mandible or maxilla to the skeletal base where either of the jaws protrudes beyond a predetermined imaginary line in the coronal plane of the skull. This distinctive habsburg jaw a new analysis published in the annals of human biology finds most likely resulted from inbreeding.