2i 8 Human Physiology. 



indolent, with a tendency to roundness and plumpness, and a 

 paler blonde of hair and complexion. Such persons are calm 

 and gentle, and not easily excited to violent exertion, or anger, 

 or grief. Persons of the nervous temperament are generally 

 thin and pale, with thin hair, large and active brains, and great 

 force and quickness of nervous action extreme sensibility, t 

 acute senses, active intellects, and vivid emotions. This is 

 the temperament of fine talents, and great mental and bodily 

 activity. The bilious temperament is characterised by firm 

 muscles, dark, strong, thick hair, dark complexion and eyes, 

 and great strength and firmness of character a serious and 

 sometimes severe and melancholic disposition. A fine com- 

 bination is the sanguine, nervous, and bilious, in fair propor- 

 tions. Some whole races of men are of one or two of these 

 temperaments. In England and America we have all varieties, 

 and by one law of generation there is a constant tendency to 

 mingle these temperaments and efface individual idiosyncrasies 

 by the attraction of both sexes for their opposites. Dark men 

 are fond of fair women, the tall are enamoured of the short, the 

 lean admire the fat, and vice versa; so that there is a constant 

 check to the propagation of varieties, or a directly opposite 

 tendency to what has been termed natural selection. Sexual 

 selection is therefore a counterpoise to any tendency to varia- 

 tion of species. 



Unfortunately, the instincts of nature are often violated in 

 this matter, and convenience, or interest, or some fashion or 

 prejudice prevents the free action of individual taste in the 

 selection of married partners. Men are induced to marry 

 women of the same tribe, and even of the same family, so that 

 peculiarities of character and constitution are rather intensified 

 than neutralised, or combined with others. 



It is not, perhaps, possible ever to find the reasons for indi- 

 vidual idiosyncrasies to know why one child in a family is 

 very dull, and another a genius; why one is gifted with health 



