158 WARFARE IN THE HUMAN BODY 



but more delicate structures. So, in the growth of the 

 nervous system, embryonic cells, capable of development 

 into muscle cells which use great energy, were, if we may 

 use the metaphor in physiology, sublimated into nerve 

 cells, which consume so little that it cannot be measured 

 by any means yet known to us. But, just as we know 

 that neurons arose from ruder and more energy-con- 

 suming structures, we can infer that, though the finer 

 and more delicate instincts of modern man were developed 

 from rude and brutal ones, they still retain marks of their 

 origin. Nor need we be surprised to find even now in 

 such a lowly organism as society, which lies far down 

 the developmental scale, obvious or gross indications of 

 their origin. With this support, and the coincidence of 

 Atkinson's views with those otherwise deduced, some 

 progress may be made in the consideration of the con- 

 ditions and factors which changed the ancient typical 

 family of the father, his wives and daughters, and the 

 children of both, into the tribe. In such an investigation 

 it will not be necessary to go into later developments, 

 such as matriarchy, which were probably due to special, 

 perhaps local, causes. 



It is the common accepted opinion that tribes grew 

 directly from the family which co-operated as an ever- 

 enlarging unit, and afterwards subdivided. Such a view 

 as much ignores the political phenomena of history, even 

 of to-day, as it does the many sidelights which ancient 

 custom throws upon the processes in question. When 

 any opinion is based upon little evidence it often turns 

 out that the effect is mistaken for the cause, or the cause 

 for the effect. It may, perhaps, be shown that some- 

 thing like this has occurred in the conclusions based upon 

 the classificatory system of relationship and inter-tribal 



