BRAIN-GROWTH AND CIVILIZATION. 759 



lives and in waning vigor. We again call attention to the remarkable physiologi- 

 cal insight displayed in the sanitary code of the ancient Israelites, and we repeat 

 the question, Whence did it spring? — London Journal of Science. 



BRAIN-GROWTH AND CIVILIZATION. 



In a progressive civilization, such as prevails in this country and throughout 

 the greater part of Europe and America, there is reason to believe that the cranial 

 capacity of the population is, on the whole, increasing rather than diminishing. 

 Owing to the want of early observation, it is difficult to institute comparisons be- 

 tween past and present. An opportunity, however, lately occurred in Paris, 

 which was taken advantage of by M. Broca. In digging the foundation of a new 

 building, a vault was opened containing a large number of skeletons, whose sur- 

 roundings proved them to have lived not later than the twelfth century. M. 

 Broca found the average capacity of 115 of those twelfth century skulls to be 

 1,426 cubic centimetres; while another series of skulls — 125 in number — taken 

 from a cemetery belonging to the early years of the present century, gave an aver- 

 age of 36 cubic centimetres more. The average Parisian skull would thus seem 

 to have increased considerably in capacity during seven centuries of progressive 

 civilization. That this increase has gone on slowly but surely as man progressed 

 from barbarism to civilization may be inferred from a study of the cranial capaci- 

 ties of the various human races. Thus, while the brain capacity of the European 

 amounts to 94 cubic inches, it is only 91 in the Esquimau, 85 in the Negro, 82 

 in the Australian, and 77 in the Bushman. These are merely averages, and, as 

 such, do not bring out the important fact lately noticed by Le Bon, that among 

 the lower races the limits of variation in the cranial capacity of individuals of the 

 same sex are much less extended than in the higher races. Thus, among mod- 

 ern Parisians large and small skulls vary by about 600 cubic centimetres, while 

 negro skulls vary only by 204, and ancient Egyptian by 353 cubic centimetres. 



Another important difference in the cranial capacity of the higher and lower 

 races is connected with sex, and serves to throw light upon the influence of men- 

 tal exercise in increasing brain capacity. According to Prof. Bischofif, of Mu- 

 nich, in a recently published work, the difference between the average brain- 

 weight of men and women is 10^ per cent. Much of this is undoubtedly due 

 to difference in stature, a tall person having, cceieris paribus, a larger brain than 

 one less in height ; partly, however, it is attributable, there can be little doubt, to 

 inferior mental training. Among the lower races, where the women have not 

 only charge of the offspring, but have also to share, and that largely, in the hus- 

 band's occupations, the brain capacity of the two sexes show, much less difference. 

 The difference, according to Le Bon, between the average capacity of the skulls of 

 male and female Parisians is almost double that found to obtain between the skulls 

 of the male and female inhabitants of ancient Egypt. Civilization, by giving in- 

 creased exercise, especially to the male brain, has, there is good reason to believe. 



