INTRODUCTION. 5 



and popularly expounded. The most important and interesting 

 - which comparative Anatomy, Physiology, and Psychology 

 have pointed out with regard to the differential character of 

 man from the Animals nearest to him, constituted the chief 

 portion of Anthropology. Some other subjects were added, of 

 which either nothing is known, or which do not admit of a 

 scientific exposition, such as investigations into the origin of 

 mankind, animal magnetism, mysterious solar, lunar, terres- 

 trial influences, partly a heritage of the old philosophy of na- 

 ture which has succumbed to the progress of natural science. 

 Thus Steffens distinguished a geological, physiological, and 

 psychological anatomy. Latterly, this mode of expounding 

 Anthropology has been abandoned; for though the present 

 time is by no means quite adverse to the belief in the 

 supernatural and improbable reciprocal relations between na- 

 tural objects, admissions of this kind are very sparingly 

 made; hence works on Anthropology in this direction have 

 disappeared. Moreover, they could not, as mere aggregates 

 of materials belonging to other sciences, claim an indepen- 

 dent interest; and the superficial phrases in which they in- 

 dulged on a variety of subjects, such as dancing, declamation, 

 poetry, and love, for the purpose of embracing, according 

 to the German custom, every human peculiarity, were not 

 calculated to supply the requisite interest. One great reason 

 why Anthropology could not sustain itself in thia form, is 

 owing to the awkward position in which it was placed by 

 being considered and treated at one time as an empirical, and 

 at another time as a philosophical science ; thus assuming an 

 undefined and fluctuating character : here, it appeared with 

 abstract deductions, without any experimental basis; there, 

 as a mere collection of interesting experimental details, arbi- 

 trarily changing the mode of treatment. In opposition thereto, 

 it is requisite to declare in this place, once for all, that Anthro- 

 pology is to be considered as an empirical science, because its 

 subject, Man, is only known to us empirically, and hence it is 

 requisite to study man by the same method which is applied 



lie investigation of all other natural objects. 

 In attempting to limit the sphere of Anthropology, and to 



