36 



SCIENCE- GOSSIP 



sociologist, he is possessed in anticipation by the 

 modern spirit in every direction.'' More than 

 this we would say that, a few alterations having 

 been made, White's masterpiece stands good for all 

 time. 



Lavender Road, London, S. W. 



FOOD OF PREHISTOEIC MAN. 



By T. Charters "White, M.R.C.S. 



PALAEONTOLOGY affords many glimpses tend- 

 ing to the elucidation of the lives of our 

 prehistoric ancestors, but. though it provides in- 

 formation that may be gathered from a considera- 

 tion of the weapons and domestic implements, it 

 remains for the microscope to throw a measure of 

 light on their food. Several years ago a barrow was 

 opened on the downs near Warminster in which a 

 number of human and animal remains were found 

 heaped over the skeleton of an infant. Together 

 with these were numerous roughly formed flint 

 implements, indicating the period as that of the 

 early Stone Age, the only metal being in the form 

 of a bronze ornament of very primitive design. 

 Having been allowed by Mr. W. Cunning-ton, who 

 opened this barrow, to make an examination of 

 some of the human jaws, I shall describe as 

 clearly as I can the condition of one as bearing 

 on the question of prehistoric food. 



It may appear impossible to affirm with any 

 certainty the character of the food of individuals 

 who existed probably three thousand or four thou- 

 sand years ago ; but the conditions under which 

 the remains were found place us in a position to 

 state, without any doubt, the nature of the food 

 consumed by the individual whose lower jaw is the 

 subject of investigation. The gentleman was per- 

 fectly ignorant of the use of a toothbrush, and 

 probably whatever performed an analogous func- 

 tion in others of his surrounding circle failed in 

 his case ; for his lower teeth were almost entirely 

 covered by that salivary calculus popularly known 

 as "tartar." 



This tartar is deposited on the teeth from the 

 lime salts held in suspension by the saliva, and by 

 its gradual precipitation becomes a hard concrete, 

 not soluble in the ordinary alkaline fluids of the 

 mouth. In it, particles of food are imprisoned by 

 daily deposition, which may remain in the same 

 condition for ages, especially if dry. Here, then, 

 we have this hard, solid concrete only waiting 

 proper treatment to disengage from its calcareous 

 confinement any particles of food closely locked 

 up in its mass. 



The method adopted was to clear all the tartar 

 from the lower jaw and then place it in a conical 

 drachm measure, to decalcify it by means of a 

 weak dilution of hydrochloric acid. This solution 

 was afterwards washed away and the sediment 

 examined drop by drop under the microscope, a 



third of an inch objective being employed in the 

 examination. 



The main body of the deposit was made up of 

 amorphous particles, probably disintegrated meal 

 of some kind. Interspersed were numerous granules 

 of a siliceous nature : these were fully accounted 

 for by the extensive grinding away of the summits 

 of the molars, which were eroded into deep pits, 

 and must have been productive of intense dis- 

 comfort, not to say pain. The granules were found 

 when tested by polarised light to be of two 

 characters : some that were flinty did not answer 

 to that test, while the others did so, and were 

 stated by an eminent geologist to be quartzite. 

 He explained this was probably the result of the 

 corn having been rubbed down in a roughly made 

 quartzite mortar, with a round pebble as a pestle. 



Among the first organic remains to be noticed, 

 was the sharply pointed tip of a small fish's tooth, 

 following which were the oval horny cells of some 

 species of fruit resembling those going to make 

 up the parenchyma of apples, then husks of corn, 

 the hairs from the outside of the husks, a spiral 

 vessel from vegetable tissue, and several small 

 ruby-coloured, highly refractive bodies, which I 

 could not recognise. Scattered throughout the sedi- 

 ment were oval bodies resembling starch cor- 

 puscles, such as may be found in potatoes, but as 

 they did not give the characteristic black cross 

 under polarised light, it was decided they could 

 not be starch ; further any starch would have 

 been reduced to the amorphous condition found 

 in the general mass of the meal. Their true nature 

 was afterwards made evident by finding a flat plate 

 of cartilage about Jjth of an inch square, from 

 the free edges of which these oval bodies were 

 being gradually extended, so, that by the disin- 

 tegration of this substance these bodies in their 

 isolated condition proved a puzzle. Here, then, 

 was evidence than the particles of food locked up 

 in this tartar could be recognised after a lapse of 

 time such as must have occurred since the Stone 

 Age in which they were masticated. No evidences 

 were found indicative of- the use of fire in .cooking 

 the food ; it must therefore have been eaten raw. 



Now comes the unfortunate part of this, to me, 

 most interesting and original investigation. Each 

 drop as it was examined was covered by a circular 

 cover glass of -fth of an inch diameter and carefully 

 put aside ; but to prevent this cover glass from 

 shifting, a ring of gum-dammar varnish was run 

 round each, and after a few years these prepara- 

 tions were examined again, when it was found the 

 varnish had sucked in by capillary attraction, and 

 these slides, to the number of about thirty, were 

 irretrievably ruined. Should I be so fortunate ;i^ 

 to obtain another such specimen of undoubted 

 Stone Age antiquity I should dry the deposit at 

 once and mount it in Canada balsam. Will any- 

 one help mi' .' 



Camera Club. London. April 1901. 





