358 



NATURE 



{Mar. 7, 1872 



Science ; 2nd Mechanics ; 3rd, Navigation ; 4th, Civil and 

 Military Engineering. 



2nd Section — Chemical ami Physical Science 

 5th, Physics ; 6th, Chemistry ; 7th, Meteorology and Thysics 

 of the Globe. 



3rd Section — Natural Sciences 

 Sth, Zoology and Zootechny ; 9th, Botany ; loth. Geology and 

 Mineralogy; iitb, Medicine. 



4th Section — Economic Sciences 

 1 2th, Agriculture (Agronomic); 13th, Ethnography and Cieo- 

 graphy ; 14th, Statistics. 



We are told that certain modifications may be intro- 

 duced before the final constitution of the Association, but 

 they are not likely to change the general character of the 

 institution. 



Amongst the promoters of this Association are to be 

 found the names most celebrated in French science, 

 showing that this scientific movement is a general one, 

 and answers to a pressing want. 



A peculiar feature will be remarked : the general spirit of 

 the statutes denotes a very decided tendency to decentrali- 

 sation. Up to the present time French science has had the 

 reverse tendency, — to attract to Paris all the intelligent 

 strength of the nation. The result, most excellent for Paris, 

 which constitutes one of the greatest scientific centres in the 

 world, has been very disadvantageous for the country. The 

 provincial /rti-«///j- (local universities) have been deprived 

 of the most important of their members, and are actually 

 very far from answering to the scientific standard of the 

 metropolis. If v/e add now that the Ministhv de V In- 

 struction Puhlique not only has insufficient funds for 

 these institutions of higher instruction, but considers the 

 facnltes as sources of revenue by the granting of degrees, 

 it will be understood that it is the right time to act 

 vigorously to raise the taste for science in the parts of 

 the country remote from the capital. 



Too much encouragement cannot be given to the 

 founders of the French Association in their task of de- 

 centralising science in France. The first result will be 

 to create real scientific centres, vigorous with a new life, 

 and diffusing a great activity. It cannot be objected 

 that the genius of the nation is opposed to such a decen- 

 tralisation, and that all aspirations must necessarily con- 

 verge towards Paris. This is an error. The town of Mont- 

 pellier gives the example of a Facultd de Mddecine, of 

 which the reputation is scarcely inferior to the Paris 

 Jacnlte. It is equally certain that Toulouse the town of 

 Jcuxfloratix, Lyons, Marseilles, Clermont, and many 

 others, under a vigorous impulse, could also become 

 great scientific centres. To aim at this object, nothing 

 will be better than to show every year the whole scientific 

 corps of Paris, the scientific Etat-inajor transporting 

 itself to a remote city or town, liberally giving lectures 

 and conferences, and promoting researches and experi- 

 ments. Thus the metropolis will greatly help the scientific 

 renovation, and will show that it wishes not to attract 

 to itself the whole force and consideration, but to diffuse 

 its own energy over the whole country. 



It is probable that the first meeting will be held this 

 year at Lyons, the second town of France, at the end 

 of August or the beginning of September. To the inte- 

 rest of the meeting would be added the attraction of a 

 great industrial exhibition. 



We cannot do otherwise than wish a great success to the 

 French Association. We are happy to see that all parties 

 are uniting in their exertions in such a direction ; that a 

 good number of associates, independent or belonging to 

 scientific societies, are giving in their adhesion to the 

 new association. Amongst the congratulations which 

 the Association ought to receive at its birth, no doubt 

 one of the first will be addressed by the British Asso- 

 ciation. This will be for England both a duty and an 

 honour. A nation must always] be happy to be valued 

 and proud to be imitated. 



QUETELET'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 

 SCIENCE OF MAN 



Physique Sociale, on Essai siir Ic Developpement des 

 Facultes de VHomme. Par Ad. Quetelet. (Brussels, 



Antliropometrie, ou Mesure des differcntes Facultes de 

 VHonnnc. Par Ad. Quetelet. (Brussels, 1870.) 



TWO lines of research into the Science of Man, of the 

 highest moment as well in theoretical Anthropology 

 as in practical Ethics and Politics, both to be always asso- 

 ciated with the name of Quetelet, are now discussed at 

 large in his Social Physics and Anthropometry. The two 

 great generalisations which the veteran Belgian astrono- 

 mer has brought to bear on physiological and mental 

 science, and which it is proposed to describe popularly 

 here, may be briefly defined. First, he has been for many 

 years the prime mover in introducing the doctrine that 

 human actions, even those usually considered most arbi- 

 trary, are in fact subordinate to general laws of human 

 nature ; this doctrine, maintained in previous publica- 

 tions, especially in the earlier edition of the first-named 

 work some thirty-seven years ago, is now put forth in its 

 completes! form. Second, he has succeeded in bringing 

 the idea of a biological type or specific form, whether in 

 bodily structure or mental faculty, to a distinct calculable 

 conception, which is likely to impress on future arguments 

 a definiteness not previously approached. 



The doctrine of the regularity and causality of human 

 actions was powerfully stated some fifteen years ago by 

 Mr. Buckle in the introduction to his " History of Civili- 

 sation." Buckle is here essentially the exponent of 

 Quetelet's evidence, from w-hich, indeed, as a speculative ' 

 philosopher he draws inferences more extreme than those ' 

 of his statistical teacher. To Quetelet is due the argu- 

 ment from the astonishing regularity from year to year in 

 the recurrences of murders and suicides, a regularity ex- 

 tending even to the means or instrurnents by which these 

 violent acts are committed ; his inference being broadly 

 " that it is society which prepares the crime, the criminal ' 

 being only the instrument which executes it." From ' 

 various other sources Buckle brought together other pieces 

 of evidence, especially one which is now quoted by all who ' 

 discuss the subject, the regularity from year to year of ' 

 letters posted, whose writers forget to direct them. It 

 may by this time be taken as proved by such facts that 

 each particular class of human actions may be estimated, 

 and to a great extent even predicted, as a regular product ■ 

 of a definite social body under definite conditions. To 

 quote another luminous instance of this regularity of ■ 



