i82 THE TREND OF THE RACE 



We often find it stated that in mankind natural selection has 

 been practically done away with by our advances in civilization. 

 We no longer ^ live in fear of wild beasts; human beings seldom 

 die of starvation or succumb to the direct effects of climate. We 

 endeavor to keep alive the weaklings who would perish under a 

 more primitive regime. Everything is done which is rendered 

 possible by our knowledge and skill to prevent natural selection 

 from eliminating the ill-favored members of our race. 



Nevertheless the operation of natural selection is far from 

 completely checked. However far science may advance, it will 

 always lie beyond our power to do away entirely with its action. 

 Dr. G. A. Reid in his Present Evolution of Man maintains that 

 man's advance "is not mainly an evolution of physical or intel- 

 lectual strength, as in his remote ancestry, but mainly an evolu- 

 tion against disease." While there are several evolutionary 

 factors which Dr. Reid has not considered in his book, he is doubt- 

 less correct in his contention that the course of our development in 

 the past has been greatly influenced by the selective action of 

 various diseases, and that it will probably continue to be so in the 

 future. Races tend, through the action of natural selection, to 

 become immunized to prevalent diseases. Most diseases act 

 much more severely upon some individuals than others. Many 

 people are practically immune to certain diseases, and some races 

 are more or less immune to diseases which in other races have a 

 high fatality. The relative immunity of the negro race to malaria 

 is well known. According to Hirsch {Geographical and Historical 

 Pathology, I, p. 245) there died of malarial fevers per thousand of 

 the population in Ceylon 



Negroes i . i 



Natives of India 4.5 



Malays 6.7 



Natives of Ceylon 7 



Europeans 24 . 6 



* Indirectly, of course, lack of adequate nutrition is a frequent source of death 

 as it predisposes people to die from various diseases. The same may be said of 

 the indirect effects of climate. 



M 



