5 
NATURE 
145 
THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1899. 
THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF BADEN. 
Zur Anthropologie der Badener; Bericht tiber die von 
anthropologischen Kommi*ssion des Karlsruher Alter- 
tumsvereins an Wehrpflichtigen und Mittelschiilern 
vorgenommenen Untersuchungen. By Otto Ammon. 
Pp. xvi + 707. Maps 15. (Jena: Gustav Fischer, 1899.) 
OR many years the distinguished worker, Dr. 
Ammon, has been conducting an anthropological 
survey of the Grand-duchy of Baden in such an ex- 
haustive and detailed manner as cannot fail to excite the 
admiration of all interested in this branch of science. 
A considerable proportion of his investigations has 
been already published and incorporated in anthro- 
pological text-books ; but the present bulky volume gives 
the whole of his work in collected form, and embodies 
such generalisations as he considers can at present be 
safely attempted. For the final bearings of these in- 
vestigations on the history and evolution of this portion 
of the Caucasian race, Dr. Ammon states, however, that 
further observations are necessary both in his own and 
in neighbouring countries. As a monument of patient 
research, many of the fruits of which others will pluck, 
the volume before us reflects the highest credit on the 
author and his fellow-worker, Dr. Wilser. 
The observations have been carried out on recruits and 
school-children ; the two series being kept quite distinct 
from one another. The country has been mapped out 
into districts, which were assiduously worked from 1887 
to 1894, three out of the four chief districts having been 
undertaken by Dr. Ammon himself, while the fourth has 
fallen to the lot of Dr. Wilser. The number of in- 
dividuals (which is very great) examined in each of the 
four districts is clearly indicated on the first of the 
admirable series of maps, which render both the physical 
features of the country and the results of the survey 
conspicuous at a glance. In view of the general gradual 
numerical diminution of blonds and the increase of 
brunettes as we pass from North to South Germany, 
Baden, as forming a long narrow strip running from the 
south towards the centre of the German empire, is 
admirably circumstanced to display the development of 
this law in the southern provinces. 
In addition to describing the ordinary physical features 
of the country, the geological structure is likewise taken 
into account ; and the effects of all natural surroundings 
on the population are thus considered in full detail. 
To enumerate all the anthropological features which have 
entered into the scheme of survey would be wearisome ; 
and it must suffice to say that bodily stature (subdivided 
into total length, sitting-length, and leg-length), the pro- 
portions of the length to the breadth of the head, the 
colour of the eyes.and hair, and the development of hair 
on parts of the person other than the scalp, are all taken 
into consideration. . Especial attention is directed to the 
difference in the anthropological features of the inhabit- 
ants of the rural and urban districts ; and, above all, to 
the changes in the population of the latter induced by 
immigration from the former. In these investigations, 
NO. 1546, VOL. 60] 
Dr. Ammon lays claim to having founded a new branch 
of anthropology. 
Seeing that to render adequate justice to the scope of 
the work would require a considerable portion of a 
number of NATURE, it will be advisable to concentrate 
attention on a few features. Among these, the relative 
prevalence of long-heads and round-heads, of blonds 
and brunettes, in different districts is perhaps the most 
generally interesting. 
At the commencement of the second section of the 
work we find some theoretical observations on the three 
“primitive” types of man met with in Europe. In 
common with many other modern anthropologists, such 
as Ripley and Sergi, the author recognises, firstly, the 
Mediterranean long-heads, of medium or small stature, 
with dark eyes, hair, and skin. Secondly, the North 
European long-heads, of tall stature, with blue eyes, 
blond hair, and fair skin. And, thirdly, the Alpine 
round-heads, whose stature is medium, with dark eyes, 
hair, and skin. And here it is important to notice that 
the author speaks of these simply as /yZes, in contra- 
distinction to vaces. He further observes that, owing to 
crossing, neither of the three types are common in their 
original purity in any district. In Baden itself, the 
population at the present day seems chiefly due to a 
mixture of the fair North European long-heads with the 
dark Alpine round-heads, the dark Mediterranean long- 
heads having failed to penetrate so far north in any 
great numbers. 
The following table shows the number of individuals 
of each type met with among different classes of the 
population : 
Immigrants. Town-born. 
b Rural ——— ~ = 
Type: districts. Small Large Small Large 
towns. towns. towns. towns. 
North European 146 4 II 27 15 
Alpine 26 BIO Sweet th mare pel 
Mediternanean ae 9 to) oO fo) of 
The percentage from these works out as below :— 
North European 1°45 OFF eeelie bien LaQA aed 254 
Alpine 0°39 0°93 ... OO! OBS. 0127 
Mediterranean 0°09 fe} fe} fo} 0705 
From this we see that, while among the immigrants 
the North European type is rarer in the small and the 
large cities than in the rural population, among the town- 
bred the percentage rises so as to exceed that of the rural 
districts, this being most markedly the case in the large 
cities, where we have 2°54 per cent., against 1°45 in the 
country districts. 
Respecting the Alpine type, we find the immigrants 
into small towns standing at 0°93 per cent., and at o'g1-in 
the larger cities, as against 0°39 in the rural districts ; 
whereas in the town-bred class the percentage is less than 
in the country districts, the diminution being most 
marked in the case of large cities. 
Here, therefore, we have evidence that the blond 
long-heads tend to gravitate towards the large cities, 
where they flourish ; and that while there is also a large 
immigration of the dark round-heads, yet that these tend 
to die out in their urban homes. Certain details are also 
viven with regard to the position occupied by the dark 
round-heads among their fellow-students in the schools ; 
but into these it is impossible to enter on this occasion. 
H 
