North.
New World. Old World.
I. High Skult..
4. Apalachian, 1. Caucasian,
or Natchez Race. or Iran Race.
II. Broad Skull.
6. Gnianian, 2. Mongolian,
or Carib Race. or Turan Race.
III. Long Skull.
6. Peruvian, I 3. Ethiopian,
or Inca Race. | or Sudan Race.
South.
A serious objection to this division exists in the fact that the so-
called high skulls, in many important features, differ as much from
each other, as they do from the broad and long skulls, and this is
equally predicable of each of these last two varieties, as compared
with the first. Moreover, the requirements of science discountenance
all attempts at the indiscriminate arrangement of artificially
deformed with natural skulls. P r ic h a r d divides all skulls into
1. The symmetrical or oval form, which is that of the European and
Western Asiatic nations; 2. The narrow and elongated or prognathous
skull, of which the most strongly marked specimen is perhaps
the cranium of the.Negro of the Gold Coast; 3. The broad and
square-faced or pyramidal skull, which is that particularly of the
Turanian nation.112
Want of space, alone, prevents reference to other systems. However,
regarding nature as an harmonious and indivisible whole, and
believing with the venerable H u m b o ld t , that it is impossible to
recognize any typical sharpness of definition between the races;113
and with the eminent German physiologist, J o h a n n e s M u l l e r , that
it is incontestably more desirable to contrast the races by their constant
and extreme forms;114 and finally, inclining to the opinion so
ably argued by G é r a r d ,115 and entertained by K n o x ,116 and others,
112 Researches into the Physical History of Mankind. London, 1836. Vol. I. p. 281.
118 Cosmos: A Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe. By Alexander Yon
Humboldt. Translated from the German by E. C. Otté. New York, 1850. Vol. I. p. 356.
,M Handbuch der Physiologie des Menschen. Bd. II., s. 775.
118 Dictionnaire Universel d’Histoire Naturelle. Dirigé par M. Chas. d’Orbigny. Art.
Espèce, par Gérard ; t. 5ème.
ii6 <<in time there is probably no such thing as species; no absolutely new creations
ever took place ; but as viewed by the limited mind of man, the question takes another
aspect. As regards his individual existence, time is a short span ; a few centuries, or a
lew thousand years, more or less ; this is all he can grasp. Now, for that period at least,
organic forjns seem not to have changed. So far back as history goes, the species of anithat
species occupy no absolutely permanent place in nature’s method,
and that all specific distinctions are, therefore, fallacious I have
deemed it more judicious* in the present state of our science, to
avoid any similar attempt at a classification, preferring to lay before
the general reader a panoramic view of a few of the almost innumerable
cranial forms which the traveller meets with in making a
tour of the surface of the earth. But, in order to avoid misconceptions,
a few preliminary remarks will be necessary before proceeding
with our proposed survey. If, to facilitate our progress, we
divide the earth’s surface into several regions or realms, the limits
of each being determined by the geographical distribution of its
peculiar organic forms, and represent each by a cranial form selected
from among its most numerous and apparently indigenous inhabitants,
we will obtain a series of typical or standard figures, similar to
those constituting the second column of the extensive “Ethnographic
Tableau ^ accompanying this work. With one exception, the crania
figured m the tableau are contained in the Mortonian collection.
Taken by means of the camera lucida, in the hands of the accomplished
Mrs. Gliddon, I can vouch for the general accuracy of the
drawings, and their truthfulness to nature. The exception alluded
to is a drawing of Schiller’s skull (C), borrowed from the eranioscopic
atlas of Carus. Forced by the arrangement of the Tableau to represent
the entire European area by two crania instead of many, I
have selected the above figure because it embraces both Gothic
and Sclavonic characters, and may be taken therefore as a standard
or Central and Eastern Europe in general; while the more elongated
Circassian skull (D) may be regarded as a not inappropriate representative
of Southern and South-eastern Europe. Now it is quite
evident that all attempts at representing the skull-forms of the
numerous races of men by a few figures (as in the Tableau), must
necessarily be imperfect, and consequently open to criticism. I wish
the reader, therefore, distinctly to understand that the skulls figured
m the Tableau are merely so many examples, each of a cranial type
more or less numerously represented, and prevailing over a greater
or less extent of the particular geographical area to which it belongs.
Each figure represents not the whole realm in which it is placed”
but one only of the characteristic forms of that realm. The Negro
head (E), for example, is not the standard of the entire African continent,
but a peculiar form found there, and nowhere else. To
represent the whole of this continent, many heads would be required.
Thev H haTO n°‘ Changed; the raoes of men haTC been absolntely the same,
y ere distinct then for that period as at present. R a c e s of Men., p. 34.