PALM AND SOLE IMPRESSIONS. 389 



tion in the same person, and it nmy ho attended by trickery on the part of the 

 person measured. By the Metropolitan rolice a margin for error of two inclies 

 in each direction is allowed in classifying cases by height. Even with the 

 greater accuracy of the French measurement a considerable margin has to be 

 given. The accurate description of the color of the eye is still more difficult. 

 The seven colors taken by M. Bcrtillon can be discriminated only by persons 

 having much practical experience, and even then many doubtful and transi- 

 tional cases must occur. 



For the 'primary classification/ that based on the first five Bertillon 

 measurements, a complete outfit, such as would be necessary at an 

 important registration station, would consist of 343 drawers, corre- 

 sponding to the 5tli power of 3, the number of possibilities involved. 



The arrangement of this index register will be the same as M. Bertillon's, 

 a cabinet of drawers first divided vertically into three divisions according to 

 length of head, and horizontally according to width of head. The nine sections 

 thus formed will be divided vertically according to length of finger and hori- 

 zontally according to length of forearm, and again vertically according to length 

 of foot. There will be 243 drawers, each containing one class of cards. The 

 figures which are to determine the ' long,' ' medium ' and ' short ' of the several 

 classes might be borrowed in the first instance from M. Bertillon, but in that 

 case on account of racial differences they would have ultimately to be altered in 

 order to keep the classes equal in size. It would be best, therefore, that the 

 measurements taken in this country by Mr. Galton and by the Anthropological 

 Institute should be utilized and correct figures for England fixed from the 

 outset. 



The above quotation from the English report is given in full mainly 

 for the purpose of showing the great disadvantage to the entire system, 

 which results from racial difEerences in bodily proportions, a fact which 

 will necessitate either one of two alternatives, both bad; that of using 

 special figures for each country or of having very unequal subdivisions 

 in certain cases. This is a decided barrier to the internationalizing 

 of the system and must necessarily be reckoned as a serious defect. 



Without meaning to seem ungracious to a system the advantage of 

 which over all previous methods has been universally recognized, and 

 one the scientific principles of which reflect so much credit upon the 

 deviser, it may be well, in closing this brief account, to enumerate the 

 defects of the Bertillon system, some of which are, indeed, incident to 

 any system which human ingenuity can devise, and the most of which 

 have been foreseen, aclmowledged and corrected so far as possible by 

 M. Bertillon himself. 



1. The limitation of the system to the period of adult life. 



2. The necessary disparities between the same measurements taken 

 at different times by different mensurators, or indeed by the same one 

 (percentage of error). 



3. For the purpose of an equal classification, the necessity of as- 

 signing independent limits to the records kept by each nation. 



4. The greater amount of time consumed in making a set of meas- 



