Scientific Iiitelligence — Anthropology, 081 



of a few vertebrae, occurring at an early period of Ufe, serveg 

 not merely as a foundation for a permanent deformity in the 

 spine itself, but proves that means of modifying the size and 

 shape of even distant organs, such as the bones of the face and 

 of the extremities ; an occurrence of this sort taking place before 

 our eyes, and long after birth, teaches us what we may expect 

 from injuries or diseases of any important organ during the 

 growth of the foetus ; prepares us for expecting that certain 

 malformations of central organs necessarily give rise to second- 

 ary disturbances in the development of some given parts lying 

 more in the circumference. It would be extremely interesting 

 to determine what influence the situation of the hump has in dis- 

 turbing distant development ; is the general formation of the 

 face and limbs, when the hump arises low in the back, different 

 from that which distinguishes those whose humps occupy a si- 

 tuation higher up ? ^t is curious enough, and contrasts strongly 

 with the effects on the facial development produced by a hump 

 on the back, that some infants are born with the face fully 

 formed, but wanting the brain and spinal marrow ! — Ihid. 



25. Socrates not poisoned by Hemlock, — Dr Christison, in his 

 memoir on hemlock, in the Edinburgh Philosophical Transac- 

 tionsy states, that the poison which terminated the existence of 

 Socrates was not our hemlock, or, at least, that the description 

 given of the symptoms produced by the action of the poison do 

 not correspond with those of the hemlock known to us. Plato 

 says, " When he felt his limbs grow weary, he lay down on his 

 back, for so the man had told him to do, and at the same time 

 the person who administered the poison went up to him, and 

 examined, for a little while, his feet and legs, and then squeezing 

 his foot strongly, asked him whether he felt him do so ? So- 

 crates replied, that he did not. After this the man did the 

 same to his legs, and proceeding upwards in this way, shewed 

 that he was cold and stiff. As he approached him he said to 

 us, that when the effects of the poison would reach the heart, 

 Socrates would depart ; and now the parts about the lower 

 belly were cold, when he uncovered himself (for he was covered 

 up), and said, which were his last words, Crito, we owe Escula- 

 pius a cock, pay the debt, and do not forget it. It shall be done 

 (replied Crito), but consider whether you have any thing else to 



