September 9, 1887.] 



SCIENCE. 



i3r 



inasmuch as in no part of the world is there such unrestricted con- 

 jugal choice. But how does beauty originate ? Sometimes suddenly, 

 the offspring being incomparably superior to the parents; more 

 frequently by gradual improvement, though certainly very pro- 

 nounced in a large proportion of cases. A Darwinian would say this 

 was owing to fortuitous variations and natural selection. But these 

 ' fortuitous ' variations Darwin did not attempt to explain. To do this 

 is the task of modern evolutionists. It must be a gradual process 

 so far as details are concerned. 



In a paper read at the recent meeting of the American Associa- 

 tion, I traced the influence of monotony in the environment, among 

 other causes, in determining race degeneracy in a small and isolated 

 community in the Bahama Islands, and endeavored to place this 

 upon a scientific foundation. In a somewhat elaborate paper just 

 read before the Canada Medical Association, I have advanced a 

 new theory as to nutrition ; viz., that the nerve centres are con- 

 stantly exercising an influence over the nutrition of all the tissues of 

 the body through the nerves distributed to them. This view sup- 

 plements and explains that maintained in the first paper. It seems 

 to me that it throws an entirely new light on the whole subject of 

 evolution, supplies, in fact, a missing link in the explanation, — at 

 all events for all animals with a nervous system, — and accounts 

 for the origin of variations as, so far as I know, no other theory does. 

 It furnishes what the Lamarckians have lacked but never supplied. 

 I cannot, of course, give in this letter the facts on which this law is 

 founded, but may say that they are of a threefold character : clin- 

 ical, pathological, and physiological. 



The form, etc., of every organ depends upon its mode of growth, 

 upon its nutrition. According to the above theory of a constant 

 neuro-trophic influence, the nutrition is every moment dependent 

 on the nervous system. Now as it is through this system the organ- 

 ism is brought into relation with its environment, so through it the 

 environment is registering its effects every moment. One thing seems 

 to be settled in regard to beauty : it cannot originate when the exist- 

 ence is a purely vegetative one, devoid of all excitement of a psychi- 

 cal kind. That beauty is most frequent among the classes of the 

 community in easiest circumstances, with opportunities for varied 

 excitement of mind (and consequently of body), can thus be under- 

 stood. That the mental mood causes the face to vary very much 

 in expression is patent to all, and is understood by the influence of the 

 mind over the muscles through nerves by influences radiating from 

 the nerve centres. My theory goes much further than this, however, 

 and assumes a constant influence of the nervous system directing 

 the nutrition of every cell and so the form of the entire organism. 

 By such a view we are able to understand how the young being in 

 iitero can be moulded to beauty or the reverse, by the environ- 

 ment of the parent. It may be long before we are able to work out 

 the details, but we must not be hopeless even as to that. 



This then is a physiological explanation of evolution. Now, al- 

 though on reflection it must appear that all final explanations of 

 evolution must be physiological, it is remarkable that scarcely a 

 single physiologist has undertaken the solution of any of its prob- 

 lems. I hope to be able in the near future to elaborate the subject 

 from the physiological standpoint and along the lines indicated 

 above. And it is because this explanation seems to bear so directly 

 on vital questions like those treated by Mr. Finck that I write to 

 Science on the present occasion. 



It is evident that for the best results to mankind there must be 

 the freest choice in conjugal mating. We think biology has now 

 advanced far enough to say of certain persons that they cannot 

 mate without danger of deterioration in the offspring, e.g., in the case 

 of those with a pronounced consumptive or strumous ancestral his- 

 tory ; and it says much for the character of those who, with this 

 fear before them, have sacrificed the prospects of conjugal happi- 

 ness for a time, for the good of the race, by remaining in celibacy. 

 An accomplished, experienced, and wise physician, well educated 

 in the principles of heredity, might often, if consulted, be justified in 

 saying nay. That he could say that any particular union is the 

 best possible, is going far beyond our present biological knowledge. 



With the inferior animals we can predict results as to off- 

 spring with a certainty that is remarkable. But with man the en- 

 vironment is so much more complex, from his more involved social life, 

 from his high cerebral development (psychical life), that it is impos- 



sible to estimate all the factors in the environment ; and. if we could,, 

 we do not yet know exactly how they act. But nature has not left 

 man without a sure guide. By man's instincts (intuitions) light is 

 supplied, in each instance, that science can as yet give only as gen- 

 eral principles. The individual is a light unto himself, provided 

 that he has lived an honest, pure life. 



For myself, on this point, I hold the strongest views. My theory 

 as to falling in love would be something to this effect : there are 

 in normal minds the elements of an unformed ideal, which takes 

 definite shape when the person answering to that ideal appears, 

 provided there be no interfering causes. This ideal appertains 

 rather to type of individual than to any special person ; i.e., there is 

 the potential capacity to love one of many individuals of the type, 

 and the exact individual of this type chosen may be a fortuitous 

 matter. Good results, if not absolutely the best, follow in such 

 cases, no matter which one of the type-class is chosen. As Carlyle 

 said, " No man can love but once, and some not then." The 

 choice of those of opposite tendencies, etc., results in a large pro- 

 portion of cases in the highest good alike to the individuals them- 

 selves, their offspring, and the race. Man and woman in the con- 

 jugal state should be the one complementary to the other. The 

 education of the sexes should lead to as much differentiation as. 

 possible, in order that the total energy available for the race may 

 be maximal. The education given by parents and the general edu- 

 cation of the public should be such as to allow of the highest de- 

 gree of free, intelligent conjugal choice. If this is accomplished the 

 results as regards beauty will be equally good with those in other 

 directions. I seem, Mr. Editor, to be just getting into the subject,, 

 but I fear I have already taken up too much of your space ; the im- 

 portance of such a question must be my excuse. 



T. Wesley Mills.. 



Physiological Laboratory, McGill College, 

 Montreal, Aug. 29. 



The Study of Geography. 



The efforts of the Royal Geographical Society towards the- 

 improvement of geographic teaching in England, as recently 

 described in Science by Mr. Keltic, deserve particular attention, 

 both from the success already attained and from the need of 

 going stiU further. The success is conspicuous, if measured 

 only by the recognition and opportunity given to Mr. Mackinder 

 as reader in geography at Oxford ; and the advance already 

 gained in the character of models, maps, and illustrations is ad- 

 mirable and enviable ; but I cannot help feeling that the short- 

 comings of the scheme are also apparent. It seems to me that 

 geography itself needs as much attention as tj;-"> means of teaching 

 and illustrating it : the principles to be taugPit and the facts to be 

 illustrated need fuller discussion and better choice than they have 

 yet received. But Mr. Keltic, in his recent article in Science, says : 

 "Of what is known as physical geography — the topographical 

 surrou.idings of humanity — there is ndt much to complain: its 

 facts and principles are pretty well known, and fairly set forth in 

 numerous text-books. It is when we come to apply these facts to 

 humanity, and deal with their bearings on the development of man 

 in communities, that we find so much to desire." I sympathize 

 fully with the second sentence of this quotation, but not at all with 

 the first. Certainly much is still to be done in recognizing and 

 illustrating the bearing of geographic facts on the development of 

 human communities, but quite as much, or more, is yet to be 

 accomplished in the careful study of the facts themselves. Mr. 

 Mackinder, in his address to the Royal Geographical Society 

 {Proceedings. March, 1887), includes these geographic facts under 

 ' physiography,' and their relations to humanity under ' physical 

 geography ; ' but the illustrations that he presents are chiefly of the 

 latter subject, and the tendency of the Society, judging by the 

 character of its Journal of former years and its current Pro- 

 ceedings, is, with small exception, in the same direction. It should 

 be noted, however, that Mr. Mackinder gives much more importance 

 to geologic origin of geographic forms than has been usual. Now it 

 may be true, though I think it is not, that enough is known of 

 physiography to ser\'e the wants of physical geography ; but it is 

 undoubtedly true that physiography as a science in itself is in a 

 most immature condition, and is only in recent years obtaining. 



