CRIMINAL ANTTTROPOLOGY. 643 



his moral sense. There is no scientific method by which the relation- 

 ship between Lis physical structure and his moral sense can be deter- 

 mined, whether the study be made during his life or by autopsy. 



(2) The first principle ot the science of criminal anthropology, as 

 taught in modern times, is to study the criminal rather thau the crime. 

 We have lived among criminals in the prisons of several of the cities 

 as much of the time as was possible. During several years we have 

 kept anamnestic observations and have recorded everything which had 

 relation to the past life of the criminal ; but we are not occupied solely 

 in determining, according to the physiognomy of their crime, whether 

 there is any such thing as criminals by instinct. We have never omit- 

 ted an occasion to interrogate the criminal concerning his parents, 

 his tutors, his friends, his master, his nurses, doctor, all that could give 

 testimony concerning the infancy and youth of our criminals. One 

 hundred and twenty-three of these numerous anamnestic tables have 

 been recorded and give an abundance, an exactitude, a minutia of 

 historic information of such nature as to cause us truly to believe that 

 future researches upon this point can do no more. The tables are of 

 persons condemned for those grave crimes which have been effected by 

 destructive means, wheth er against the person or of property, or one or 

 both. The sex, age, origin, etat civil, profession, the economic condition, 

 religion, intellectual culture of criminals have all been investigated 

 and recorded. There is much variation according to our observation, 

 but we have considered all descriptions and classes of these criminals 

 and have formulated this interesting scientific conclusion : That there 

 is an inaptitude for education in infancy that is evidence of a natural 

 predisposition to crime. We have met with cases and occasions where 

 we could base a veritable scientific prognosis which has confirmed the 

 truth of this experimental doctrine. 



A methodical investigation has shown to us seventeen children hav- 

 ing this inaptitude for education, that we have foreseen with assur- 

 ance they 'would become criminals. And they became criminals con- 

 trar^^ to the expectation and belief of a number of savants who were 

 obstinate in their opinion that these infants were only backward in 

 their education, and who prophesied that they would succeed if their 

 l^edagogy was appropriate. In order to resolve the grand question 

 as to the natural predisposition to crime, the science of criminology 

 ought to demand critical experience of the pedagogic biology. We 

 deeply regret that the general bureau of criminal statistics can not 

 give official information in answer to the two questions: How many 

 children and young people already gathered in the houses of correction 

 become criminal adults ? And its complement : How many condemned 

 adults had in their youth been j)laced in houses of correction ? 



(3) Our modern civilization has so improved, that it exceeds the nat- 

 ural capacity of many individuals who live in our midst. Modern civ- 

 ilization represents the last and final effort of the individuals who are 



