ABSTRACT
The history of physical anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution is closely linked with the development of American physical anthropology. The Smithsonian chapter in this story effectively began in 1903 when officials decided that physical anthropology should be represented in the already established anthropology effort. An ambitious, young physician turned physical anthropologist named Ale§ HrdliCka (1869-1943) was hired to inaugurate this effort at the Smithsonian.
