654 CRIMINAL ANTHROPOLOGY. 



became musicians, poets, and painters. These indicated troubles of 

 development, which in certain cases produced subjects degraded and 

 debauched, and who, under favoring circumstances, were disposed to 

 the genesis of crime. 



M. Theophile Itoussel, senator, declared that to properly discuss this 

 question it was necessary to occui)y an entire conference. The legis- 

 lation, however incomplete it might be, had already done much for the 

 protection of infants. The state, which was the head of the grand 

 family, assumes more and more of guardianship over the abandoned or 

 neglected. And he quoted a proposed law which corresponded exactly 

 to the present i^reoccupation of this congress. 



M. Herbette pursued the same course. How should the infant be 

 treated by the state? If it is deprived of the care and protection of its 

 family, the state should become its guardian, its protector, its educator, 

 its father. The state is now largely the protector of infants, whether 

 they be deprived of family or not. It protects the infants in the family 

 against the stupidity, immorality, or crime of the parents; it protects 

 the unfortunate, whether criminal or not, in the house of correction; it 

 protects him before the tribunal and it protects him against himself, 

 because it refuses to give up its guardianship until he shall have 

 arrived at majority. The state endeavors to preserve the infant from 

 ignorance, vice, or crime. While man lives physically, no one has a 

 right to say that he is morally dead. M. Herbette exhibited a chart of the 

 penitentiaries of the country. He insisted that the role of education 

 was prevention of the evil in its course, and, without rejecting the inter- 

 vention of the societies of charity and protection, he demanded above 

 all the surveillance and control of the state. 



Question VI. — The organs and functions of sense among criminals. 

 Dr. Frigerio and Dr. Ottelinghi, of Turin, were the reporters. 

 First part by Dr. Frigerio. 



/. — The eye of criminals. — (1) The color of the iris : I have examined 

 the color of the iris of 700 persons normal and 1,500 criminals. I have 

 encountered a predominance of the chestnut-colored iris among the 

 criminals, a considerable proportion of blue among the violators, 

 offenders against public morals. 



(2) The chromatic sense : This has been examined in 460 criminals 

 with the method of Holingren. I have encountered but 0.86 per cent, 

 of daltonism, a proportion which is feeble compared with the obser- 

 vations made upon Italians, which has usually given from 1 to 3 per 

 cent, of dischromatopsy. 



(3) Visual acuteness : Observations were made upon 100 criminals 

 with the method of Smelleu. For refraction we have met with an ap- 

 parent predominant emmetropic. This visual acuteness is much more 

 developed than among other Italians in the corresponding conditions 

 of life though not criminal. 



