514 



PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



59. 

 J. C. 



Prichard. 



CO. 

 Broea. 



it was for a long time represented by the almost 

 solitary researches of Dr J. C. Prichard (1786-1848), 

 who is not incorrectly called the founder of Ethnology 

 or Anthropology in England. His ' Eesearches into the 

 Physical History of Man,' dedicated to Blumenbach, 

 appeared in 1813 in two volumes (afterwards extended 

 to five). He was one of the first who decided to pro- 

 ceed in the study of the primitive history of the human 

 species not by any preconceived notion " but by the 

 ordinary method of observation and experience." 3 

 Although following Blumenbach and appreciated by 

 Orientalists such as A. W. v. Schlegel in Germany, 

 Prichard for a long time stood alone, little known out- 

 side of Britain, one of the many independent and 

 isolated pioneers in research who were so numerous 

 in this country. 



It may be noted that Herder's writings contained 

 already the idea of anthropology as a natural as well 

 as mental science. But if we except the researches 

 of Humboldt into the earlier civilisations of Peru and 

 Mexico, the study of anthropology in' Germany had, in 

 the schools of Kant, Fries, and Herbart, established itself 

 in alliance with the comparative study of languages 

 rather as an extended psychology than as a natural 

 science. In the latter direction it attracted much 

 attention in the middle of the century in France, where 

 Broca founded in 1859 the " Societe d'Anthropologie de 



1 Although the author himself 

 states that he was led into the 

 inquiry by the diversity of races 

 being alleged as a disproof of the 



Mosaic records, in argument he en- 

 deavoured nevertheless not to rely 

 on theology, &c. See ' Encyclop. 

 Brit.,' 9th ed., Article "Prichard." 



