Nov. 5. 1885] 



NATURE 



Plata. The results of Pasteur's experiments on "pig- 

 typhoid " have also been criticised, and not without 

 reason, by Prof. Klein. It is foolish for newspaper corre- 

 spondents to attribute hesitation in accepting scientific re- 

 sults to jealousy. iMuchscrutiny will be necessary. Adverse 

 criticism will be welcomed. M. Pasteur's fame stands in 

 no need of artificial protection. 



His past achievements are great : his last attempt was 

 prudent in conception, and carried out with untiring zeal 

 and admirable care. It deserves to succeed. If so, he 

 will again receive the applause of the civilised world ; if 

 not, he will have the sympathy and respect of every 

 pathologist. 



It is melancholy to reflect that it would be practically 

 impossible for any duly qualified man in England to 

 repeat, to confirm, or to correct his results. We must 

 wait till a wiser and more humane public opinion 

 repeals the present restrictions upon investigations like 

 Pasteur's. 



TOPINARD'S "GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY" 

 ileinenis d'Anthi'opologie ghierale. Par le Dr. Paul 

 Topinard. (Paris: A. Delahaye et E. Lecrosnier, 18S5.) 

 "f^ HE study of anthropology has been pursued, especially 



-«- of late years, with great zeal by many leading 

 savants, both in the Old and New World, and many 

 valuable contributions to our knowledge have been made 

 in all departments included under its extensive range. 

 This is more particularly the case with respect to that 

 part of the subject which deals with the anatomical 

 characters of the human body. Until this branch of 

 anthropology was so vigorously and successfully studied 

 by Broca, complete ignorance of many fundamental ques- 

 tions 'prevailed. The direct result of the work of that 

 great anthropologist was immense, while the indirect 

 result due to the incentive which he gave to the study of 

 anthropology generally cannot be over-estimated, but 

 may be inferred from the numerous societies devoted to 

 its study which have rapidly sprung up in various 

 countries. Broca must be considered the great pioneer 

 of modern anthropology, but his untimely death left his 

 work by no means complete, and many extensive fields 

 remained almost untrodden by the foot of the inves- 

 tigator. By the accumulated observations of his followers 

 these deficiencies have been in great part made good, and 

 the time had arrived when it was possible to form 

 generalisations from sufficient data, and when a compre- 

 hensive work embracing the whole subject was urgently 

 needed. For the production of such a work no one more 

 highly fitted could be found than Prof. Paul Topinard, 

 trained at the feet of the great master himself, possessed 

 of an extensive knowledge of his subject, and intimately 

 acquainted, by personal visits to the chief centres of 

 anthropological research, with the methods employed by 

 his contemporaries. 



The volume before us deals with the elements of 

 general anthropology, and is the first part of Prof. 

 Topinard's contemplated work, which, when completed, 

 will consist of three parts, the second and third parts 

 being devoted to special anthropology and a general 

 survey of the whole subject, concluding with man's place 

 in time, his origin and future. 



Prof. Topinard begins by giving an historical account 

 of the origin and development of anthropology, and 

 claims that it is not a new science developed during the 

 latter half of the present century, but that it has, during 

 the last twenty years, attained its adult age and gained its 

 independence. 



He divides its history into different periods : (i) from 

 antiquity till the year 1230, the date of the birth of 

 human anatomy; (2) from 1 230-1 800, when anthropology 

 asserted itself under the influence of Buffon, Blumenbach, 

 Scenimering, and White ; (3) from 1800-1860, during 

 which time three important events occurred that mate- 

 rially assisted its development — viz. the founding of the 

 Society of Anthropology of Paris, the demonstration of 

 the high antiquity of man, and the promulgation of the 

 doctrine of evolution by Darwin. To these a 4th and 

 more recent period is added — viz. that during which 

 Broca's personal influence, aided by the advance of 

 natural sciences, gave great impulse to anthropology. 

 Each of these periods is considered in detail, and many 

 matters of much interest are discussed. 



Chapters VII. and VIII. are devoted to generalities 

 including under this a definition of anthropology, its 

 object and the subjects which it embraces. Anthro- 

 pology is defined as the branch of natural history which 

 treats of man and of the human race. It includes two 

 distinct departments of study — viz. anthropology proper 

 and ethnography ; the former treating of the human 

 species and its varieties or races from a purely animal 

 aspect, and therefore essentially anatomical and physio- 

 logical in its nature ; the latter dealing with people and 

 intimately connected with sociology. For the study of 

 anthropology proper, anatomical and zoological know- 

 ledge is essential ; but such knowledge is not necessary for 

 the study of ethnography, as questions of race are excluded 

 from it. Having discussed the various essential and 

 accessory anthropological sciences, the place of anthro- 

 pology in science, the meaning of the terms, " characters," 

 " types," " races," " people," " nationalities," &c., he pro- 

 ceeds in the ninth chapter to consider general methods ot 

 anthropological research. The different kinds of physical 

 characters and their study are first discussed. These are of 

 three kinds — morphological and anatomical, descriptive 

 and anthropometrical, and finally zoological and anthro- 

 pological. After a few remarks on anthropometry, and on 

 the comparison of measurement on the skeleton and on 

 the living, which are stated to be not generally directly com- 

 parable, an observation which entirely agrees with our own 

 experience, the subject of craniology is discussed, the vari- 

 ous points on the skull to which it has been found conve- 

 nient to give technical names are defined, and derivations 

 and meanings of various terms such as " brachycephalic," 

 &c., applied to skulls to express their form, are explained. 

 In discussing the merits of instruments for measuring the 

 skull, their simplicity is insisted upon. The elaborate 

 instruments used in Germany, and by those who follow 

 the German school (of which happily there are few) are 

 very justly condemned. Broca's compas cPcpaisseiir 

 and the compas glissiire are figured and recommended. 

 These are certainly simple, but, after considerable expe- 

 rience in their use, we rather take exception to the former, 

 as not being very exact, on account of the measurements 

 being read off on a scale reduced to one-half the actu il 



