1815.] Dr. Pritchard on the Physical History of Man. SSI 



the opinion of the unity of species among men, that a change 

 produced in the white European by heat and food becomes here- 

 ditary, is exceedingly inconsistent with notorious facts. Nor does 

 it receive any additional weight from its antiquity ; that onlv affords 

 an additional proof of the facility with which even absurdity may 

 be propagated under the sanction of illustrious names. Dr. Pntchard 

 shows that the previous opinions are irreconcileable with fact, and 

 supposes tiiat certain causes exist, which, acting on the parents, 

 *' influence them to produce an offspring endowed with certain 

 peculiar characters, which characters, according to the law of 

 Nature, become hereditary, and thus modify the race." In order 

 to develope those causes. Dr. P. shows that, although climates 

 produce veiy remarkable variations in individuals, both in the 

 animal r.nd vegetable kingdoms, yet the only permanent effects 

 seem to be derived from cultivation and domestication. Of these 

 effects tliere are ample and apposite proofs in our cultivated fruits, 

 and among domestic animals. The original stocks remain un- 

 altered, while the most extraordinary changes are brought about by 

 culture. Dr. P. institutes a panillel between the culture of plants, 

 tlie domestication of animals, and the civilization of man ; and, 

 while he allows that some connate varieties may be produced by 

 climate, he insists that the condition of man in social life in- 

 fluences more extensively the physical structure than any variety of 

 latitude or local temperature : and concludes by ascribing those 

 remarkable diversities among mankind, not to any moral cause, but 

 to physical causes connected with a particular mode of life. Of 

 this, several interesting illustrations might be cited, in addition to 

 those g'ven by Dr. Pritchard, 



Having established the probability of these opinions, he proceed* 

 to determine whether the original race were white or black ; and 

 having shewn that black, or at least a very dark brown, in all the 

 inferior triljcs, is the primitive colour; and that the same com- 

 plexion prevails among all savages, and a gradual change towards 

 white occurs through successive races of semi-barbarians to perfect 

 civilization, he infers that the prototype of the human race was a 

 Negro, However satisfactorily tiiis conclusion may be drawn, it is 

 necessary to afford some proof, and accordingly tlie author adduces 

 numerous illustrations calculated to give considerable force to his 

 arg'ument. He urges with much force the singular v.irictics in 

 form and complexion among tlie widely scattered nations of the 

 Pacific Ocean ; who exhibit almost every variety, from the .savag« 

 Papuan to the highly refined EurojK'an. He jjiovcs, by similarity 

 of language, of religious riles, and other points of coincidence, 

 their counnon ori;,nn ; and then .^pplie^ the results obviously ob- 

 tained fr(.im these individu\Js to the whole of the human race. 

 ' 'I'he outline then of these Researches into the pliysical history 

 of man, is, that as unifoini diversities arc produeed by certain 

 known causes ; so, all similar or analogous diversities should be 

 aicribcd to aualoguui causes. That as aa analogy docs actually 



