22 



NATURE 



[March 14, 19 18 



A SURVEY OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY. 



The American Indian: A)i Introduction to the 

 Anthropology of the New World. By Clark 

 Wissler. Pp. xiii + 435. (New York: Douglas 

 C. McMurtrie, 1917.) Price 3 dollars. 



IN this synthesis of American ethnology Mr. 

 Clark Wissler has given us a book which we 

 have long needed. An immense amount of work 

 has been done in American ethnology, but the 

 results are scattered in ponderous tomes and in in- 

 numerable papers in various journals published 

 in diverse countries, and hitherto no scholar had 

 attempted the systematisation of all these data, 

 which manifestly required much patient labour. 

 In terse, direct language the author has brought 

 together the essential facts, and thereby en- 

 abled students to gain a clear idea of the tech- 

 nique and distribution of industries, the main 

 features of sociological and religious systems, and 

 the demarcation of the larger groupings. Refer- 

 ences are given for most of the statements, 

 numerous plates and figures illustrate the text, 

 and there are a number of most useful maps show- 

 ing various distributions. The scope of the book 

 can be best gauged by giving an epitome of the 

 contents : Food areas (gathering, hunting, agri- 

 culture, etc.), textile and ceramic arts, decorative 

 art, architecture, social groupings and regulation, 

 and ritualistic observances. A consideration of these 

 forms the basis for a classification of social groups 

 according to their cultures. North and South 

 America are divided into fifteen culture areas 

 conformable to principles previously enunciated by 

 the author, central spots being selected and the 

 marginal variations noted. Then follow archseo- 

 logical, linguistic, and somatic classifications, and 

 finally a correlation of classifications and a dis- 

 cussion of culture origins and of New World 

 origins. 



A few remarks may be made concerning Mr. 

 Wissler 's position with regard to the broader 

 problems of American ethnology. In common 

 with the great majority of his American col- 

 leagues, he believes in the unity of the New World 

 culture. "Notwithstanding the great diversity we 

 have found, there are, on every hand, the un- 

 mistakable signs of unity. The higher cultures 

 of Mexico and Peru are, after all, merely the 

 great centres where the fundamental elements in 

 New World culture were full blown." He is also 

 impressed by the "many indiciations of somatic 

 homogeneity strongly suggesting unity of origin." 

 Surely no morphologist would regard the Lagao 

 Santa type (to which no reference is made) as 

 belonging to the same race as the Bororo, or many 

 other tribes. Following the line adopted by Boas, 

 he suggests that "the longer-headed Algonkins 

 and Patagonians are merely the result of greater 

 marginal isolation rather than survivors of a 

 previous long-headed population," 



Research becomes paralysed if all irregularities 

 are to be dismissed as fluctuations from a com- 

 mon mean. Probably no one will disagree with 

 NO. 2524, VOL. lOl] 



the statement that "no necessary relation exists- 

 between the known types of culture, linguistics, 

 and somatology." The analysis of each of these 

 must proceed on independent lines, and it must 

 always be remembered that cultures and lan- 

 guages can be adopted or discarded. The diver- 

 sity of linguistic stocks in America is an unex- 

 plained puzzle for those who maintain the essential 

 unity of the American Indians. Certainly as re- 

 gards somatology there is very good reason to 

 believe in several distinct migrations of different 

 racial elements from north-east Asia. What cul- 

 tures they severally brought with them is another 

 matter. 



In referring to certain cultural traits mentioned 

 by Rowland B. Dixon as common to America and 

 the Pacific, Mr. Wissler says : "There is no great 

 a priori improbability that some of these traits did 

 reach the New World from the Pacific Islands. 

 Satisfactory proof of such may yet be attained, 

 but such discoveries would not account for New- 

 World culture as a whole. Then there are abun- 

 dant data to show that the Polynesians are recent 

 arrivals in the Pacific ; in fact, Maya culture must 

 have been in its dotage long before they were 

 within striking distance of the American coast." 



We have not yet heard the last word on the 

 problems of the diffusion of culture which are now- 

 exercising the minds of many ethnologists ; to 

 these this most excellent book will serve at once 

 as a stimulus and a challenge. 



A. C. Haddox. 



RADIOGRAPHY. 



Radiography and Radio-therapeutics. By Dr. R. 

 Knox. Part i.. Radiography. Second edition. 

 Pp. XXV + 382 + XX + plates Ixxviii. (London: 

 A. and C. Black, Ltd., 191 7.) Price 305, net. 



NOTHING better illustrates the advance in 

 medical radiology and the stimulus given 

 thereto by the war than the appearance of a 

 second edition of this work. Upon its production 

 ill 191 5 Dr. Knox's book became the standard 

 British book on the subject of X-rays, as regards 

 their application diagnostically or as a therapeutic 

 agent. In view of the large amount of new in- 

 formation available it has been thought advisable 

 to issue the second edition in two parts, and 

 part i., "Radiography," has now been completed. 



Generally speaking, the lines laid down in the 

 original work have been followed, new matter 

 supplementing the old in the appropriate sections. 

 When an entirely new subject comes up for con- 

 sideration, such as the detection of gas in the 

 tissues, a new sub-heading is made in the chapter 

 to which it is germane. This will greatly facilitate 

 for the reader the transition from the original 

 volume to the new issue. 



The main additions to the work appear to be in 

 the chapters (which, we notice, are not numbered) 

 devoted to the electro-technique of the subject, 

 the localisation of foreign bodies, stereoscopy, and 



