'92 REPORT— 1903. 



Section H.— ANTHROPOLOGY. 



President of the Section — Professor Johnson Symington, M.D., F.R.S., 



F.R.S.E. 



TIIUIiSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10. 

 The President delivered the followino^ Address : — 



It is now nearly twenty years since Anthropology attained to the dignity of being 

 awarded a special and independent Section in this Association, and I believe it is 

 generally admitted that during this period the valuable nature of many of the 

 contributions, the vigour of the discussions, and the large attendance of members 

 have amply justified the establishment and continued existence of this Section. 



While the multifarious and diverse nature of the subjects which are grouped 

 under the term Anthropology gives a variety and a breadth to our proceedings, 

 which are ^ery refreshing in this age of minute specialism, I feel that it adds very 

 considerably to the difiiculty of selecting a subject for a Presidential Address which 

 will prove of general interest. 



A survey of the recent advances in our knowledge of the many important 

 questions which come within the scope of this Section would cover too wide a 

 field for the time at my disposal, while a critical examination of the various 

 problems that still await solution might expose me to the temptation of pronounc- 

 ing opinions on subjects regarding which 1 could not speak with any real know- 

 ledge or experience. To avoid such risks I have decided to limit my remarks to 

 a subject which conies within the range of my own special studies, and to invite 

 your attention to a consideration of some problems arising from the variations in 

 the development of the skidl and the brain. 



Since the institution of this Section the development, growth, and racial pecu- 

 liarities of both skull and brain, and the relation of these two organs to each 

 other, have attracted an ever-increasiug amount of attention. The introduction 

 of new and improved methods for the study of the structure of the brain and the 

 activity of an able band of experimentalists have revolutionised our knowledge of 

 the anatomy and physiology of the higlier nerve centres. 



The value of the results thus obtained is greatly enhanced by the consciousness 

 that they bear the promise of still greater advances in the near future. If the results 

 obtained by the craniologist have been less marked, this arises mainly from the 

 nature of the subject, and is certainly not due to any lack of energy on their part. 

 Our craniological collections are continualh' increasing, and the various prehistoric 

 skull-caps from the Neanderthal to the Trinil still form the basis of interesting and 

 valuable memoirs. 



"While the additions to our general knowledge of cerebial anatomy and phy- 

 siology have been so striking, those aspects of these subjects which are of special 

 anthropological interest have made comparatively slight progress, and cannot com- 

 pare in extent and importance with the advantages based upon a study of fossil and 

 fecent crania, Tljese fftcts a4mit of a ready explanatipn. Jirfjins of anthropo- 



