Vice-President's Address. 5 



variety of design, because there is a greater similarity in the 

 form of the " pads " upon which they appear. 



For such reasons I regard papillary ridges as aids to 

 prehension, and the arrangement of the sweat-ducts as 

 adaptations to that moist condition which is an additional 

 aid to a secure grip. 



From the observations which I have been able to make, 

 I am satisfied that the papillary ridges on the hand of the 

 negro more closely resemble those of the apes as regards 

 size and arrangement than do those of higher races. My 

 contention therefore is, that in this arrangement of the skin 

 of the palms and soles, we have an illustration of the per- 

 sistence of a structural element long after its functional or 

 prehensile value has become greatly subordinated. We 

 have only, however, to examine the hands and feet of a 

 newly-born infant, to assure ourselves that at the time of 

 birth the possibility of a much greater degree of prehension 

 is present in the hands and feet of civilised races. 



(b) The Hair. — The presence of hair is another feature 

 characteristic of the skin over most of the body. Hair may 

 be studied in regard to its structure, shape, and distribution. 

 For my present purpose I shall content myself by dealing 

 with its shape and distribution, two factors which I believe 

 to be intimately associated with its function. As you are 

 aware, hair not only varies in colour, but it presents marked 

 differences in transverse section both among different animals 

 and among different races of men. Much information is still 

 required with regard to the exact characters of human hair 

 seen in transverse section. However, we know that hair 

 may be cylindrical, and thus present a circular outline when 

 cut transversely ; or, again, it may be of varying degrees of 

 flatness, and so present different degrees of oval in transverse 

 section, while the transverse section of some hairs yields 

 a kidney-shaped outline. 



^ Various explanations have been offered to account for 

 these appearances. Professor Arthur Thomson, of Oxford, 

 considers that the shape of the hair results from the shape 

 of the follicle in which it grows, but clearly this explanation 

 does not account for the variation in the shape of the hair 



