HUMAN BRAIN-WEIGHTS. 355 



tic deities. The steamer sticks to one or other of the two main chan- 

 nels, which are wide and deep, and comparatively unencumbered by 

 rocks or islands ; it avoids the tiny minor reaches, rich in endless sur- 

 prises and varying vistas which constitute the real charm and beauty 

 of this fantastic, fairy-like region. No, no ! to see the islands properly, 

 you must live on one of them for several days at least, and row up and 

 down among the lost side-channels and tangled back-waters, exploring 

 the petty bays and inlets, and occasionally losing your way altogether 

 among the endless intricacies of that maze of water. But if you can 

 not afford the time to see them thus, you should at least spend a day 

 or two at Clayton or Gananoque, and take the " round trip " on the 

 little excursion-steamer, Island Wanderer, which threads its way in 

 and out through the loveliest windings of the landlocked river. 

 Longmans' Magazine. 



HUMAN" BRAIN-WEIGHTS. 



Bt JOSEPH SIMMS, M. D. 



ALTHOUGH we may regard it as fully admitted that the external 

 appearance of the skull is no certain indication of the mental cali- 

 ber of the individual, still there are many who are inclined to measure 

 mind in terms of matter, believing it to be somehow dependent on the 

 material constitution of the brain. Texture, the relative proportions 

 of white and gray matter, and especially weight, are regarded as im- 

 portant factors in the problem, and it is on this latter subject that I 

 have compiled and would offer what, so far as I have heen able to 

 ascertain, are trustworthy data concerning the weight of this impor- 

 tant organ. The average brain-weight appears to be higher in cold 

 than in warm climates. The " Lancet " has recorded the observation 

 that men with large heads endure cold better than those with small 

 ones. The Lapps have the largest heads in Europe in proportion to 

 their stature ; Norwegians next ; then come Swedes, Danes, Germans, 

 French and Italians. The Arab head is smaller than any of these. In 

 the Pacific Ocean, far to the north, a people called Chugatshes, with 

 remarkably large heads, occupy the shores and islands of Prince Will- 

 iam Sound. 



The average size of brain differs also at different stages of life ; so 

 that two men, each examining several hundred brains in the same city, 

 may not obtain exactly the same results ; because the subjects of the 

 one may be chiefly aged, and those of the other young, though mature. 

 In this case the latter would show a much greater average weight than 

 the former, because of the natural decrease of the brain with advanc- 

 ing years. The following acknowledged authorities have presented 

 the facts as they found them, after weighing a large number of brains : 



Dr. John Reid, of the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, states the aver- 



