September i, 1923] 



NA TURE 



315 



workshop. Until the appearance of the present volume 

 there was no satisfactory manual covering the whole 

 field, or rather the several plots embraced by the name 

 Anthropology. In a science where real unity is 

 impossible, no one can specialise in all its branches. 

 Collaboration is the only way of dealing with each sub- 

 ject in an adequate manner ; and no better or more com- 

 petent collaborators could be found than the six German 

 savants whose names figure here on the title-page. 



The handbook is the fifth part of the section devoted 

 to natural science in the monumental series which is 

 being published under the title " Die Kultur der 

 Gegenwart " by B. G. Teubner, and aims at an 

 exhaustive statement of the present state of knowledge. 

 It commands real admiration to see how this extremely 

 ambitious, yet thoroughly adequate, scheme is being 

 carried out, in spite of the interruption caused by the 

 War, in spite of the hard economic struggle which the 

 academic classes in Germany have to face, in spite of 

 the critical state of the publishing trade in that country. 



There is first in this volume a short introductory 

 chapter by Prof. E. Fischer, giving a systematic initia- 

 tion into the subject, a clearing up and ordering of the 

 field, so dear to the methodical mind of the German, 

 and, to tell the truth, so extremely important and 

 useful in a manual. In this case, the introduction is 

 written with a strong somatological bias, and treats 

 the cultural side of our science in a rather step- 

 motherly manner. The history of anthropology, for 

 example, contains no reference to any of the great 

 pioneers of cultural anthropology ; the names of Bastian, 

 Tylor, Frazer, Durkheim are not even mentioned. On 

 the whole, it is the least satisfactory section of the book. 

 There follow four parts exclusively devoted to physical 

 anthropology : Part II., on Measurements, by Prof. 

 Th. MoUison ; Part III., Somatology, by Prof. E. 

 Fischer and Th. Mollison ; Part IV., the Human Races, 

 by Prof. Fischer ; Part V., the Theory of Human 

 Descent, by the late Prof. G. Schwalbe. These parts 

 are all one could wish for — clear, concise, up-to-date, 

 exhaustive. The next part is an account of pre- 

 historic anthropology by the late Prof. M. Hoemes. 

 This part is naturally divided between the fields of 

 physical and cultural anthropology. Only the last 

 two of the eight essays belong entirely to the other — to 

 the social, or cultural aspect of anthropology. Of these 

 the one is an account of ethnology, by Dr. F. Graebner. 

 The other, entitled " Sozialanthropologie," and written 

 by Prof. A. Ploetz, is a very suggestive but as yet 

 only tentative attempt at a correlation of race with 

 cultural achievement, an attempt to construct a theory 

 of the organising and civilising values of each of the 

 several varieties of mankind. 



Two of these essays will be of special interest, for 



NO. 2809, VOL. I 12] 



they are not only the last word of science on the subject 

 of pre-history and theory of descent, but they are also 

 the last contribution of two very eminent scholars. 

 Prof. Hoemes and Prof. Schwalbe, both of whom died 

 while the book was in the publisher's hands. 



On the whole, the volume will be of great use as a 

 handbook specially to the social anthropologist — using 

 this word in the English sense — ^just because the 

 physical branches have been worked out at a greater 

 length and in a more final and authoritative manner. 

 Now naturally, if you are an anthropologist specialised 

 in a corner of your field, you need to have the other 

 plots well mapped out. In your own little plot you 

 ought to find your way without a map ! 



Nor is it possible in the present state of cultural 

 anthropology to give a final and entirely impartial 

 statement of its results. For its methods, its aim, and 

 its subject matter are in a flux, and there is very little 

 agreement even on points of fundamental importance. 

 As is well known, the value of the old evolutionary 

 theories is being vigorously contested, while there is a 

 great deal of dissension and confusion about the place 

 of " psychological," " historical," and " sociological " 

 explanations. Dr. Graebner is one of the pioneers of 

 the " historical " school and its ablest exponent in 

 Germany. This school concentrates its attention on 

 the analysis of " cultural complexes," on the diffusion 

 of institutions, customs, and cultural objects, and on 

 the mechanism of culture-contact. 



Many anthropologists in Great Britain will no doubt 

 be interested in Dr. Graebner's essay — both those who 

 wish to see perhaps the most exhaustive account of 

 their own point of view extant, and those who wish to 

 have a clear statement for criticism. 



Dr. Graebner states his case in an introductory 

 discussion of the aims of ethnology (pp. 445-447) and 

 in a final summing up (pp. 572-583). The body of the 

 essay contains first the analysis of the various cultures 

 of humanity — savage, barbarous, and civilised. In the 

 second main section there is an account of the evolution 

 of the various elements of culture — clothing and 

 ornaments, housing, economics, technology, trade and 

 communication, social organisation, art and knowledge. 

 This part is extremely interesting, for it shows very 

 forcibly how fruitful and interesting evolutionary 

 theories can be when based on a conception of humanity, 

 divided into a number of cultural types and not lumped 

 together into one homogeneous whole. Dr. Graebner's 

 essay might go very far towards the clearing up of mis- 

 understandings, convincing the intransigent opponents 

 of the historical school, and, last though not least, 

 towards the levelling up of the sharp rift which now 

 divides the cultural and evolutionary schools in 

 England, Germany, and the United States. 



