6 INTRODUCTION [CHAP. 



With the 19th century we are brought to further advances 

 from the ground thus gained. The earlier half of the century is 

 marked by at least one significant feature, viz.: — the foundation of 

 societies for the scientific study of Man. The societies in question 

 were founded in several countries, among which France and Great 

 Britain took the lead. But the subject still remained in an un- 

 differentiated condition, and a distinction between the studies of 

 mental and physical attributes, or of nations and races, was not yet 

 clearly marked. Such subdivision and specialization of study do 

 not occur in the earlier phases of the life-history of a science, and 

 Anthropology formed no exception to the general rule. 



Anthropological Societies were founded, as has been men- 

 tioned, early in the 19th century, at an epoch when Hebraic 

 cosmology was very generally and literally accepted. Against such 

 literal acceptance protests were not lacking , the progress of 

 zoological study (perhaps especially the results of observations 

 on the geographical distribution of animal forms) had cast 

 doubt on that part of the account relating to animals other 

 than Man, just as the birth and growth of scientific geology had 

 rendered necessary a revision of the opinion commonly held as 

 to the history of the earth. These new creeds had not yet 

 however gathered the force they were subsequently to acquire, 

 and in particular the inferences drawn from them were not 

 generally recognized as having an application to the special case 

 of the origin of Man. None the less, certain French writers of the 

 18th century (Buffon, Cabanis 1 , and Lamarck) had clearly suggested 

 the possibility of the evolution of new species by the transformation 

 of pre-existing forms of life, and had applied this reasoning to the 

 case of Man in common with other animals. By so doing they 

 kindled a spark of controversy which, after smouldering for half 

 a century, was destined to break out as a veritable conflagration 

 soon after the founding of the Societies of Anthropology to which 

 reference has just been made. The labours of those Societies 

 received thereby a stimulus the importance of which can hardly be 

 over-estimated. But the point which it is here desired to empha- 

 size is, that the early work of the Anthropological Societies con- 

 sisted largely in the study of the outward appearance and cultural 

 1 Cf. Herve and Verneau in L' Anthropologic, 1905. 



