JULY 9, 1897]. 
stimulation of the vaso-motor centers. 
These observations that I present here only 
incompletely may be taken to indicate that 
the infundibular lobe of the hypophysis is, 
in all probability, not arudimentary organ, 
put a structure that has some important 
physiological activity. Moreover, its func- 
tion is probably different from that of the 
glandular lobe, and possibly quite independ- 
ent of it. With regard to the function of 
the glandular lobe, the method of injecting 
extracts into the circulation of a normal 
animal seems to teach us nothing. While 
_ the negative results thus obtained do not 
oppose, they cannot be said to support, the 
favorite hypothesis that this part of the 
hypophsis cerebri has a function resem- 
bling that of the thyroid lobes. I venture 
to suggest that this supposed similarity in 
function might be tested most satisfactorily 
upon human beings by feeding the gland in 
cases of myxoedcema or goitre and ascer- 
taining whether a reaction similar to that 
caused by the thyroid can be obtained. 
W. H. Howe tt. 
JOHNS HopKINS UNIVERSITY. 
ON THE RELATIVE VARIATION AND CORRE- 
LATION IN CIVILIZED AND UN- 
CIVILIZED RACES.* 
THe general conclusion would then be 
that, with increased civilization, abso- 
lute sizet and variation tend to increase, 
while correlation, to judge by the males, is 
stationary ; to judge by the females, tends 
to imerease. 
It will be found somewhat difficult to 
*Conclusion of a communication made to the 
Royal Society. 
f This is only generally true, not in every individ- 
ual case. The French femur is longer than that of 
the Aino, of neolithic man, and of the ancient inhabi- 
tants of the Canary Islands. On the other hand, the 
French femur appears to be slightly less than the 
Libyan, although the humerus is somewhat greater. 
The French women appear in all long bones less than 
the Libyan women. 
SCIENCE. 
49 
reconcile these results with any simple ap- 
plications of the principle of natural selec- 
tion. In the first place increased variation 
undoubtedly suggests a lessening of the 
struggle for existence, and there can be no 
question that this increase has gone on 
among civilized races (See ‘ Variation in 
Man and Woman’). ‘The lessening of the 
struggle has probably been greater for 
woman than man; hence the principle of 
natural selection might help to explain the 
preponderance of variability in civilized 
woman. The increase in size with civiliza- 
tion seems, on the average, also incontest- 
able. But is it the effect of lessening the 
struggle for existence? The possibilities 
may, perhaps, be summed up as follows : 
(a) The civilized races may have sur- 
vived owing to their superior size. It may 
be a result of the struggle in the past. To 
this must be objected that the increase of 
size appears to be a progressive change still 
going on, and yet increase of variation 
should show a lessening struggle for exist- 
ence. 
(6) The effect of suspending natural se- 
lection may be to increase size. This 
would be a blow for panmixia, for we 
might naturally have expected a regression 
to the smallness of the more primitive 
races. It would leave unexplained the ap- 
parently smaller progress of women as 
compared with men, for in their case we 
might argue from the variation that the 
struggle for existence is relatively less than 
in the case of man. 
(¢) The larger size of the civilized races 
may be due to better food supply and bet- 
ter physical training ; in short, it may be 
due, not to evolution, but to better condi- 
tions of growth. This hypothesis does not 
involve the assumption that acquired char- 
acters are inherited. Diminish the food 
supply and abolish physical training, and 
the size would sink to the level at which 
natural selection had left it. Physical 
