374 THE SIZE AND WEIGHT 



Be the cause what it may (and their mode of death 

 must not be forgotten), it would scarcely be possible to 

 point to such another series of figures for any sixteen 

 chance individuals with the single exception of those 

 recorded in our table of ' Brain-Weights of Distinguished 

 Men.' 



It is not at all necessary to suppose that the individual 

 Chinese Coolies were capable of displaying any notable 

 amount of intellectual ' acquirement ' or ' power,' in order 

 to justify their possession of such large brains. Dr. 

 Clapham records a fact of some significance in this con- 

 nection when he says : " Of the capacity of the Chinese 

 Coolie class for learning I am not inclined to speak so 

 lightly, but on the contrary am convinced of their natural 

 aptitude in this direction." We have in these facts, 

 perhaps, just what might be expected as a result of a 

 very long-continued antecedent civilization even of a low 

 order, viz., the inheritance of a large Brain together with 

 a good aptitude or ' capacity ' for learning.* 



The Brain is different from all other organs of the body. 

 It is often a mass of structural potentialities rather than 

 of fully-developed nerve tissues.. Some of its elements, 

 viz., those concerned with best-established Instinctive 

 Operations, naturally go on to their full development 

 without the aid of extrinsic stimuli ; others, however, and 

 large tracts of these, seem to progress to such develop- 

 ments only under the influence of suitable stimuli. Hence 

 natural aptitudes and potencies of the most subtle order 

 may never be manifested by multitudes of persons, for 

 want of the proper stimuli and practice capable of per- 

 fecting the development and functional activity of those 



* See pp. 351-353, where some facts are mentioned tending to 

 show that Civilization, acting through long periods, does help to 

 bring about an increase in the size of the brain. 



