PROFESSOR Cameron's paper. xxvii 



considerable difference. Tliere can, therefore, be no reason- 

 able doubt about the fact that the human race is gradually 

 getting taller. As a result, one can prophecy that in a few 

 more thousands of years, if the present rate of progress is 

 maintained, we shall find the world inhabited by a race of 

 giants, I was so much struck with this idea that I made an 

 examination of the wonderful collection of armour at the 

 Tower of London, and was enabled to ascertain that many 

 of the men of today would experience the greatest difficulty 

 in donning one of these suits. It would thus appear as if 

 the knights of old were not the splendid specimens of man- 

 hood one sees, for example, in the Hoth Battalion, C.E.F., of 

 which Nova Scotia is so justly proud. I do not know if 

 environment has anything to do with stature, but I feel that 

 emigration to a new land exerts some influence, for it was 

 a pleasure to me to witness the magnificent physique of the 

 members of the Australian Expeditionary Force, who, as 

 you know, were the wonder and the admiration of everybodv 

 at the Dardanelles. In the official account of the military 

 operations there, special reference was made over and over 

 again to the amazing stature of the Australiajis, and I was 

 much interested to note that Sir James Crichton Browne 

 has recently suggested as an explanation that the children 

 in Australia are brought up on a liberal amount of protein 

 diet in the shape of beef and mutton, of which, of course, 

 they possess an abundant supply. Physiologists are unani- 

 mous in their opinion that this is the most eflficient form 

 of diet for inducing a rapid and vigorous growth of young 

 animal tissue. 



Now the Ancient Egyptians appear to have indulged 

 mainly in a cereal diet, as most of their animals were held 

 sacred and were, on that account, not utilized for food to any 

 great extent. This statement is borne out by the fact that 

 the teeth in all the mummies I have examined were worn 



Pboc. & Trans. N. S. Inst. Sci., Vol. XIV. Pboc. II. 



