292 Lift' n»il Lcffcrs of FrniiriH OaUon 



When tlie iii(Hvi(lual.s with a nmrkedly heroditm y taint were taken the 

 resultant face had distinctly more delicate features, but the composite seems 

 to the present writer too faint to provide much information ; further, these 

 cases mav well have shown on the average more emphasised emaciation. On 

 the other hand, il a composite l)e formed of the far-a<lvanced cases, where 

 the emaciation is shown in the deeply sunken eye, the hollow cheeks, and 

 thinly covered lower jaw, the face was not by any means of the narrow 

 ovoid ty{)e. The authors do not state whether the chronic cases were more 

 frequent in the hereditary and the rapid cases in the latter group. Possibly 

 they might have gone further in compounding the material on the basis of 

 the schedule data, but we must remember that the composite photographer 

 has not only a temptation to con)pound the well-fitting faces, but that to do 

 so is almost a mechanical necessity. As our authors put it : 



"We would also draw attention to the fact that this is the first attempt at applying the 

 new process of composite portraiture on a large scale', and that many technical dithcuities, 

 mechanical and others, could only gradually be overcome." (p. 18). 



Mahomed and Galton conclude finally that their results 



"lend no countenance to the belief that any special tj'pe of face predominates among phthisical 

 patients, nor to the generally entertained opinion that the narrow ovoid or 'tubercular' fa<-e 

 is more common in phthisis than amoiuj other diseases. Whether it is more common than among 

 the rest of the health;/ population we ciuinot at present say. 



It is true that taking Iwth sex&s together we find 14'3 per cent, of faces that may he classed 

 as 'narrow ovoids",' and 9-3 per cent, that come under the head of 'broad faces with coarse 

 features',' making in all 23-6 jter cent, of our ca.ses which may be grouped under one or other 

 extreme departure in either direction from the normal average ; but we doubt if this is more 

 than would be found among the general population. Our results are therefore negative, but it 

 may be they are no less valuable ; although we commenced our investigations with the expecta- 

 tion of establishing a ' type ' on a firm foundation, we shall be little less satisfied with them if 

 they have succeeded in refuting an error. 



Although these conclusions would seem to indicate that there is no foundation for the t^lief 

 that persons possessing certain physical characters are especially liable to tul)ercular disease, 

 yet it may hereafter be proved that some explanation of the doctrine may be found in the course 

 of the disease when it attacks such persons." (p. 18.) 



In the last paragraph our authors seem to have made an unallowable 

 extension of their result. Were it true, we must totally deny the existence 

 of any hereditary tendency to phthisis. Such, in my opinion, cannot be 

 acceptefl in view of existing statistical data. Yet any hereditary tendency 

 must dej)end upon a difi'erentiation in physical structure, for that ultimately 

 is what determmes the efficient working of the various bodily organs. But 

 it is idle in the present state of our knowledge to assume that there is a 

 high correlation between the dynamical efficiency of the bodily organs and 

 the physiognomy in particular. It is possible that nasal shape and carriage 

 of the mouth might have some — prooably not very intense — correlation 

 with a tulxjrcular diathesis. But no special study of mouth and nose was 



' When we note that composites of 50 to 200 components were made for the first time, we 

 can Hppreciate the magnitude of the task. 



' What our authors tenn the ' tubercular' type. 

 What they term the 'strumous' type. 



