1294 



VARIETIES OF MANKIND. 



The urea is here below the normal standard ; 

 the uric acid increased. 



Scherer examined urine obtained from a 

 person labouring under long-continued icterus, 

 dependent on chronic inflammation of the 

 hepatic structure. On emission this urine 

 was clear, yellow, and perfectly neutral : it 

 subsequently became acid, and deposited uric 

 acid and bile pigment. This acidity Scherer 

 believes was owing to the development of 

 lactic acid. 



The specific gravity of the specimen was 

 1018 ; 1000 parts yielded 4'3 of urea only, 

 and as much as 1*8 of uric acid. Silica was 

 also found in this urine. 



URINE OF PREGNANCY. 



The urine of pregnant women often con- 

 tains a peculiar substance, to which the name 

 of kystein has been given. It appears as a 

 white scum when the urine has stood some 

 hours. I have frequently found this substance 

 in urine at the third and fourth months of gesta- 

 tion, and have no doubt that its appearance is 

 closely connected with the phenomenon of the 

 secretion of milk. In several instances I 

 succeeded in detecting distinct milk globules 

 in such urine. 



FOREIGN SUBSTANCES IN THE URINE. 



Medicines, and substances taken for food, 

 are occasionally found in the urine. Some of 

 these, however, undergo changes in the organ- 

 ism before they are excreted by the kidneys. 



Simon has classified these bodies ; and I 

 shall here enumerate them according to his 

 arrangement. 



Inorganic non-metallic bodies. Iodine, 

 bromine, chlorine, sulphur *, iodide of potas- 

 sium, alkaline borates, silicates, chlorates, and 

 carbonates, chloride of barium, ferridcyanide 

 of potassium, sulphocyanide of potassium. 

 The ferridcyanide was converted, however, 

 into the ferrocyanide in the system. 



Metallic substances. Arsenic, antimony, 

 iron, nickel, gold, silver, tin, lead, bismuth, 

 copper, and manganese. I have sought in 

 vain for mercury in the urine. Lehmann and 

 L'Heritier have also failed to find it where it 

 has been largely exhibited. Several chemists, 

 however, declare they have detected it. 



Inorganic acids. Nitric f, hydrochloric, 

 and sulphuric. 



Organic acids. Oxalic, citric, malic, tar- 

 taric, succinic, gallic, and acetic. 



Pereira has succeeded in detecting meconic 

 acid in the urine of animals poisoned by opium. 



Vegetable bases. Quina, morphia. 



Indifferent organic substances. Colouring 

 matters of indigo, gamboge, rhubarb, red beet- 

 root, madder, logwood, mulberries, black 

 cherries ; odorous principles of valerian, 



* This, if exhibited, in combination in sulphurets, 

 is excreted as sulphate of the base. 



f Dr. Bence Jones believes that nitric acid is com- 

 monly present in healthy urine, and appears as the 

 result of the oxidation of uitrogeiiised food. 



assafcetida, garlic, castoreum, saffron, turpen- 

 tine. 



Liebig and Wohler both state that alcohol 

 cannot be detected in the urine. Percy, how- 

 ever, has proved that it can. Dr. Wright has 

 corroborated Percy's experiments, and ob- 

 tained alcohol by the same plan of analysis. 



Lehmann and others sought unsuccessfully 

 for the following substances in the urine : 

 viz., salicin, phloridzin, caffein, theobromin, as- 

 paragin, and amygdalin. These substances 

 probably undergo changes in the organism. 



Lehmann has shown that salicin becomes 

 converted into salicylous acid ; this was taken 

 up by ether with the oxide of omichmyle. 

 The addition of nitrate of iron produced the 

 fine violet colour characteristic of salicylous 

 acid. Hippuric acid and oxalate of lime were 

 also produced. 



Phloridzin is converted into oxalic and 

 hippuric acids during its passage through the 

 organism, according to Lehmann. 



For the Bibliography reference is made to the 

 works of Berzelius, Prout, Simon, Liebig, Dumas, 

 Lehmann, on Animal Chemistry, and to those 

 quoted in the foot notes. 



(G. Owen Recs.) 



VARIETIES OF MANKIND. Under 



this head it is intended to give a general ac- 

 count of the distinctive characters, struc- 

 tural, physiological, and psychological of 

 the principal Races of Men ; and to inquire 

 into the nature and degree of their mutual 

 affinity. Before entering upon these subjects, 

 however, it will be desirable, in the first place, 

 to set forth the most important characters bv 

 which Man, under whatever form, is distin- 

 guished from the Mammalia which approach 

 most nearly to him ; and, secondly, to lay a 

 foundation in the recognised principles of 

 natural history and physiology, for a true ap- 

 preciation of the characters which serve to 

 distinguish species from each other, as con- 

 trasted with those which may be presented 

 by varieties, whose original stock is known, or 

 believed, to have been identical. 



I. DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF MAN. 



By Cuvier and nearly all modern zoologists, 

 the various races of mankind are included 

 under one genus, Homo ; and this genus 

 takes rank, in the classification of Mam- 

 malia, as a distinct order, BIMANA, of which 

 it is the sole representative. Of all the cha- 

 racters which distinguish Man from the in- 

 ferior Mammalia, the possession of two liands 

 is doubtless the most easily recognised, and at 

 the same time the most intimately related to 

 the general organisation of the body ; and 

 there is none, therefore, which could be more 

 appropriately selected as the basis of a dis- 

 tinctive designation for this order. At first 

 sight it might be considered that the pos- 

 session of only two hands, whilst Apes and 

 Monkeys and their allies are designated as 

 possessing four, is a character of inferiority ; 

 but such is not really the case ; for none 



