364 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



cine. It is the means whereby the application of biological discoveries to all 

 the phenomena of human life may be made patent. Yet this science, " the 

 natural history of the Hominida;," as Professor Martin aptly calls it, is given 

 a status in our educational system which is very inferior to that of zoology or 

 botany. There are at present no professorships of anthropology in the majority of 

 universities and university-colleges in the British Isles, and the same condition 

 obtains in most of the universities of Germany and Austria. As has often been 

 pointed out before, this is an especially serious deficiency in Great Britain, a 

 country which has undertaken to govern three hundred millions of people belong- 

 ing to all manner of alien races. Even zoology, however, is scarcely a century 

 old (as a serious science), and optimists may hope that before long a B.Sc. 

 in Anthropology will be deemed an essential qualification for an Indian or 

 Colonial administrator — aye, and even for a Member of the Imperial Parliament. 



It is from this point of view that we approach Dr. Martin's work, for if 

 university-courses in anthropology are conspicuously few, university text-books 

 are virtually non-existent. The book deals only with physical anthropology, there 

 being no reference to the social or cultural side of the subject. This is no doubt 

 an advantage, and is indeed unavoidable, since the two branches of the science 

 are very distinct, and a student of cultural anthropology requires a somewhat 

 different training. The book is intended especially for the enlightenment of 

 medical students and prospective explorers, and has been written with particular 

 reference to the methods of making accurate observations. The author lays great 

 stress upon this point, as he believes very rightly that much confusion and even 

 actual waste of valuable material have been occasioned by the diverse modes 

 of making and recording observations adopted by different pioneers. Dr. Martin's 

 laboratory and teaching experience in Zurich University enables him to speak 

 with authority on this subject, and not only are there detailed descriptions of the 

 apparatus and of the correct methods of using the various instruments, but the 

 numerous figures assist the student in understanding this somewhat difficult 

 technique. Moreover, the study of groups, as distinct from the study of individuals, 

 is not forgotten, the new statistical methods developed by the biometricians being 

 fully described. This part of the book is very valuable, and so far from Dr. Martin's 

 labour being as he modestly says " a thankless task," we think that for this reason 

 alone his handsome work ought to obtain a hearty welcome in Britain and America, 

 as well as in Switzerland and Germany. We know of no other book, English 

 or German, which deals nearly as thoroughly with this essential part of an 

 anthropologist's training. The two observation-forms are included in order that 

 the student may be able to apply the methods for himself and tabulate his results 

 in a systematic manner. 



It is unfortunate that the work does not cover the whole field of physical 

 anthropology. It does not deal with the anatomy of any of the soft parts, except 

 such as can be studied during life ; and there is no treatment of philosophic 

 principles, nothing about the factors or manner of human evolution. This, it 

 must be admitted, unfits the book to serve as a complete text-book for the advanced 

 student of the science, since the subjects omitted are of course vitally important. 

 The study of the brain is the link between physical and social anthropology, and 

 the application of the principles of evolution to the Hominidas may be legitimately 

 described as the chief raison d'etre of the zoologist who has specialised in the 

 higher Primates. This, however, does not detract of course from the value of the 

 book as a partial treatise. 



The work is divided into four parts, the first dealing with certain general 



