position, habits, social condition, moral influences; in short, every
combination of circumstances that can change the constitution of
man.
The subject of Climate may be divided, and treated under two
distinct heads, viz .—.Physical Climate and Medical Climate. The
consideration of the former appertains more particularly to the
naturalist, whose province it is to treat of botanical and zoological
geography, or the geographical distribution of animals and plants.
Followed out in all its bearings, this department has been made, by
Prichard and others, to include the whole physical history of man,
and to explain all the diversities of type seen in the human family.
The latter, or Medical Climate, refers to climate in its effects on the
body, whether in preventing, causing, or curing diseases; and it is
this branch of the subject which will mainly engage our attention at
present, although we shall be obliged incidentally to trench upon
the other.
Our limits forbid the examination in detail, to any extent, of the
effects of Physical Climate ; but, fortunately, knowledge in this
department has so greatly advanced of late years, as to permit us to
pass over, as well settled among naturalists, certain points which
formerly consumed a large share of time. It was long taught, for
example, that types were constantly changing and new ones form-
ing, under the influence of existing causes; but we may now assume,
without the fear of contradiction from a naturalist, that, within historical
times, no example can be adduced of the transformation of
one type of man into another, or of the origination of a new type.
Writers still living have boldly attributed to climate almost illimitable
influence,, on man. [Numerous citations have been given, from
credulous travellers, showing examples of white men transformed
by a tropical sun into negroes; of negroes blanched into Caucasians;
of JeWs changed into Hindoos, Africans, American Indians, and
what not. In short, the whole human family has been derived (as
well as all the animals of the earth) from Noah's ark, which landed
on Mount Ararat some 4000 years ago.
Such crude ideas obstinately maintained their ground, in spite of
science, until it was proven beyond dispute, from the venerable
monuments of Egypt, that the races of men, of all colors, now seen
around the Mediterranean, inhabited the same countries, with their
present physical characteristics, fully 5000 years ago; that is, long
before the birth of either Moses, Noah, or even Adam-—were we to
believe in the chronology of Archbishop Usher. Nor did these
various races exist merely as scattered individuals in those early
times, but as nations, warring with each other. Since these discoveli
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ries, we hear, among the well informed, no more about the influence
of existing climates in transforming races.2
No one who has studied the natural history of man will be disposed
to deny the great modifying influence of both physical and
moral causes; but the questions arise as to the nature and extent of
the changes produced. Has any. one type been transformed into
another? or has a new one originated since the living types of the
animal kingdom were called into existence ?
That the modifying influence of climate-is great, nay, quite as
great, on man, as on many of the inferior animals, we possess the
evidence around us every day in our cities. By way of illustration,
the Jewish race might be cited, being the one most widely spread’
the longest and most generally known. Whenever the word Jew is
pronounced, a peculiar fype is at once called up to the mind’s eye;
and wherever, in the four quarters of the' globe, surrounded by other
races, the descendants of Abraham are encountered, this type at
once stands out in bold relief. In each one of the synagogues of
our large cities (in the United States), may be seen congregated,
every Saturday, Israelites from various nationalities of the earth.
Nevertheless, although they differ notably in stature, form, complexion,
hair, shape and size of head, presenting in fact infinite
varieties, yet, when of pure Hebrew blood, they all revolve around a
common type, which identifies their race[
It should be remarked, in passing, that the Jewish, though comparatively
a pure race, is notwithstanding much adulterated by
inter-marriages with Gentiles during all ages, from the time of
Abraham to the present. It is true that we often see individuals
worshipping at their shrines who are wanting in the true lineaments
of the race; but this may be always explained by the admixture of
foreign blood, or through conversions of other types to Judaism.3
It has been clearly shown that the Jewish fype can be followed up
through the stream of time backward from the present day to the
IV. Dynasty of Egypt (a period of more than 500Q years), where it
stands face to face with that of the Egyptian and other races. This
fype, too, is abundantly and beautifully delineated amid the ruins
of Nineveh and Babylon, back to ages coetaneous with the Hebrew
monarchy.4
2 The unity party have been obliged, since these discoveries in Egypt, to abandon all
scientific deductions, or reasoning from facts, and to fall back upon a miraculous transformation
of one race into many; which metamorphosis is supposed to have occurred prior to
the foundation of the Egyptian, Chinese, and Hindoo empires.
“ See “ Types o f Mankind," Chap. IV., “ Physical History of the Jews.”
Ibid. Also, L a y a r d ’s Nineveh.