232 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. X. No. 249 



release of arrows, which lead the distinguished scientist to so re- 

 markable conclusions. The well-established fact that the non-ex- 

 istence of certain color-names does not prove color-blindness, was 

 shown by Mr. W. E. A. Axon to hold true among the English 

 gypsies. Besides these papers, reports on new explorations were 

 not wanting. Papers on psychophysics, which we consider an im- 

 portant branch of anthropology, were not included in the list of 

 papers read before the Section of Anthropology of the British Asso- 

 ciation. 



MENTAL SCIENCE. 



Dravying among Primitive Peoples. 



The application of the inductive method to the study of mental 

 facts — and that, too, from its first appearance in Locke or Her- 

 bart — inevitably brought into prominence the observation of minds 

 different from our own, and in particular of peoples less advanced 

 than ourselves in the march of civilization. The seed thus sown 

 has borne good fruit ; and in the works of Lubbock and Tylor, of 

 Bastian, of Steinthal and Lazarus, and many others, we have an 

 excellent foundation for an anthropological psychology. The object 

 of this movement is not only to record as far as possible the prob- 

 able history of our early attempts at culture and the long succes- 

 sion of gradually outgrown customs and beliefs, but also to co-or- 

 dinate the various works of mental evolution, to arrange them in 

 some serial order, — as Romanes does with animal evolution, — and 

 thus help to furnish the categories for a general psychology, which 

 will be none the less scientific because it needs to be enlivened by 

 the tact of a humane observer. 



Among the characteristics that contribute most to this end are, 

 what have always been and still remain the two great kinds of 

 human expression, language and handiwork, and especially art. 

 The permanence of the latter mode of expression makes it of cru- 

 cial value to the anthropologist. Dr. Richard Andree, in reviewing 

 the art-productions of savage tribes as shown by their drawings, 

 emphasizes the great development which this talent can attain in 

 conjunction with a low state of psychical development. Travellers 

 often mention the power of savages to rapidly sketch characteristic 

 figures, and among the oldest relics of the cave-dwellers we find 

 distinct tracings of animal forms. As in so many other respects, 

 an analogy is present between the drawings of primitive men and 

 of children. Figure sketching (in outline) and ornamentation are 

 the prominent characteristics of both ; while the power of land- 

 scape-sketching, as well as a sense for natural beauty, is a much 

 later acquisition. Among the forms drawn, plants are seldom 

 found: what is full of motion and life — the horse, etc. — first 

 attracts the attention, and is transferred to bone, clay, or stone. 

 At times ornamental and figure work go together, but much oftener 

 a development of the one or other alone is possible. The Maoris and 

 the Fiji-Islanders confine themselves to ornaments, and seldom 

 draw a figure. Among the Australians the development of orna- 

 mentation has stopped at a certain stage, — with recurrent stereo- 

 typed forms of wedges, crosses, and ' herring-bone ' patterns, — 

 while scenes from their doings are recorded with much fidelity, and 

 color is often used to lend reality to the design. The Bushmen excel 

 in painting (though without perspective), and trace with great ac- 

 curacy the scenes of daily life, of hunting, warring, etc. As figure- 

 painting allows of very various development, we find different styles 

 of conventionalism — the art of ancient Peru is a notable example — 

 in different tribes. Other peoples — and here the Arctic tribes 

 stand in the first rank — aim at a faithful representation here : 

 ornaftientation finds no place, and such subjects as fishing, sleigh- 

 ing, etc., are the usual ones. The attempts at human forms are 

 often failures ; but the drawings of their most common animals, as 

 the reindeer, are sufficiently exact to serve as a means of zoological 

 identification. 



Even the humerous is found on the primitive ' canvas,' and es- 

 pecially among the fun-loving negro tribes. Exaggeration of small 

 peculiarities (as in children) is the marked trait. The natives of 

 the Loango coast carve in a spiral on elephant's tusks a whole 

 carnival of ridiculous figures, — sailors, officers, savants, etc. 



The material of the artist is very various. Many cut and daub 



their utensils ; the Peruvians decorate their woven fabrics ; the 

 Australians draw on blackened bark ; the Africans carve in ivory. 

 The universal imitative bent, of which the desks and walls of a 

 school-room often show striking evidence, appears in many 

 curious savage ' art-galleries.' On the island of Depuch, off the 

 north-west coast of Australia, are found scratched on the smooth 

 rock a crowd of men, birds, fish, crabs, bugs, etc., and colored 

 black, white, red, yellow, and (seldom) blue. This seems to have 

 been a pastime of these fishermen for generations. 



While the drawing talent is thus quite a general one, the possi- 

 bility of a large development of it is limited. It usually stagnates 

 in conventionalism, and seldem reaches the stage, as it does in the 

 Eskimo, of being utilized as a pictographic language. 



In conclusion, Dr. Andree calls attention to the fact that almost 

 everywhere the men alone are the artists. In one case this rather 

 anomalous phenomenon leads to curious results. Among the 

 Papuans of New Guinea, vessels and implements of wood are quite 

 generally decorated, while the pots made by the women are devoid 

 of all ornamentation. 



Re-action and Inhibition Time. — If it is arranged that a 

 certain action is to take place at a given signal, it will be found that 

 a quite constant time elapses between the signal and the re-action. 

 Besides executing a motion, we can exert our will towards restrain- 

 ing an act ; and this not always by the contraction of an antagonis- 

 tic muscle, but by a direct inhibitory action of the nervous centres. 

 Dr. Gad of Berlin has measured the time necessary to thus inhibit 

 the action of the muscles used in mastication, and announces the 

 important result that this time is the same as is necessary for an 

 ordinary re-action. This is true not only under ordinary conditions,, 

 but the variations in the time by practice, by fatigue, under the in- 

 fluence of narcotics, etc., for the two acts, is about the same, as is 

 shown in the following table : — 



Before practice 



After practice 



With weak stimulus 



With strong stimulus 



After fatigue . 



8 minutes after taking alcohi 



i after taking alcohol 



0.16 " 

 0.09 " 



In short, the mechanism of inhibition works as accurately and as- 

 delicately as that of re-action. 



A Remarkable Case of Amnesia. — The many strange phe- 

 nomena of amnesia have been enriched by the experience of one of 

 the ablest living psychologists, Professor Bain. Some months ago- 

 Professor Bain fell from his horse, and was unconscious for about 

 three hours afterwards. During this time his shoulder, which had 

 been sprained by the accident, was set without his knowledge. 

 Upon regaining consciousness, it was found that he had lost all 

 remembrance of what had occurred an hour before the accident, as- 

 well as of the three hours following. He was found on a different 

 road from that which he can remember having intended to take, 

 and so must have changed his mind. Of this he has lost all recol- 

 lection ; otherwise there were no mental effects. The editor of 

 Mind, who tells the story, adds another case in which a gentle- 

 man, after falling from a carriage, remained unconscious for nearly 

 four months. Upon re-awakening, not only was this interval a 

 total blank to him, but the events of the week preceding the acci- 

 dent were equally lost. Important transactions which he had 

 made during that week were forgotten. This suggests that there 

 may be some relation between the duration of unconsciousness 

 after the accident and the memory-blank before. At all events, 

 the phenomena, mysterious as they are, deserve to be recorded. 

 The authenticity and careful analysis of the above cases add to 

 their value. 



