ON ALBINOES. 83 



the eye. About the same time, Buzzi of Milan had an op« 



portunity of dissecting an albino, and proved, that the pig- Proved by dis- 



mcnlum nigrum of the choroid coat, and also that portion of 



it which lies behind the iris, and is called uvea by anatomists, 



were wanting; thus demonstrating what Blumenbach had 



supposed. This deficiency was observed before by Blumen- gom"^ ! a 



bach in some white dogs, owls, and in white rabbits. Buzzi animals too. 



discovered, that the layer of the skin called rete mucosum Rete muco- 



was also wanting, and to this he with great probability attri- sum a >eut " 



butes the peculiar fairness of the skin; the colouring matter 



of the negro, and of the hair of animals, being lodged in this 



membrane. 



Jt is well known, that from the tawny natives of Asia, Albinoes from 



Africa, and America, albinoes sometimes spring, who are condnue^hetr 



said to be capable of propagating a race like themselves, when race. 



they intermarry. Whether this be the case with the albinoes 



of Europe is unknown; for, as far as I have been able to European a.U 



learn, not one of them was a female. There are on record bi " oes Sf ne - 



rally males, 

 eight instances of European albinoes, beside the three now 



noticed. Two of these are described by Saussure, four by 



Buzzi, one by Helvetius, and one by Maupertuis, all of whom 



were males. The parents of the two young men of Chamouni 



had female children of the usual appearance. The woman 



of Milan had seven sons, three of whom were albinoes. 



Mrs. Edmond's girls were all of the usual appearance, but all 



her boys were albinoes. Among these eleven cases not one 



albino girl has been found. This at least proves, that males 



are more subject than females to this singular structure. 



From the perpetuation of this variety of the human spe- This variety 



ciesinJava, Guinea, and other places, as well as from the becomes here * 



. . ditary. 



account Mrs. Edmond gives of her cousin, it would seem to 



be hereditary. 



The causes which produce it arc like those which produce Its cause un- 



defects of limbs, or of various viscera, wholly concealed * nown * 



from our curiosity. Buzzi relates, that the woman of Milan, 



when pregnant with the albinoes, always had an immoderate 



longing for milk, which she used to excess; but never felt 



that desire while pregnant with her other children; and he 



seems to ascribe this longing to some internal heat or disease. 



G 2 Mrs, 



