40 



C O M P L E X I O N. 



Com- 

 plexion. 



Hypothec 

 ui Kant, 



iilumen- 

 Kich and 

 Humboldt. 



0f Rash. 



Classifica- 

 tion of the 

 varieties of 

 the human 

 complex- 

 ion. 



modifications of a chemical T «ypothesis, to account for 

 the dark colour of the rete mucosum. The first of these 

 authors supposes that the blood of negroes abounds in 

 iron, which is precipitated into this membrane by the 

 phosphoric acid. Blumenbach is of opinion, that the 

 carbon which abounds in the body is thrown off by the 

 cutis vera, united with hydrogen, but is decomposed by 

 the access of the oxygen of the atmosphere, while the 

 carbon remains fixed in the rete mucosum ; and Hum- 

 boldt ascribes the dark complexion of the Indians of 

 South America to the abundant deposition of carburet- 

 ted hydrogen in the corpus mucosum; or reticulatum 

 »f Malpighi ; this, he supposes, not only is the proxi- 

 mate cause of darkness of complexion, but also of the 

 fact, that those races in which it exists retain their na- 

 tive colour, even under the influence of a colder cli- 

 mate. 



4. The remaining class of hypotheses rest on a diffe- 

 rent foundation. Blumenbach, besides giving it as his 

 opinion that the proximate cause of the dark colour of 

 the rete mucosum is the abundance of carbon which re- 

 mains fixed in that membrane, endeavours to account 

 for the secretion of tins substance in such quantity. 

 Hot climates, he says, exert a great influence on the li- 

 ver : an unnatural state of the bilious secretion being 

 thus produced, and increased through many genera- 

 tions, the vessels of the skin secrete a greater abun- 

 dance of carbon than in colder climates. But this hypo- 

 thesis is extremely weak and ill-founded; besides in- 

 volving the idea that the negro race are constantly la- 

 bouring under hepatic disease, it is directly contradict- 

 ed by the fact, " that bile has no power in producing a 

 permanent change in the colour of the skin ; and sick- 

 ness, which in hot climates causes the skins of Euro- 

 peans to assume a yellow hue, changes that of the Afri- 

 can to a lighter colour." Winterbottom, vol. i. p. 190. 



Dr Rush has advanced an hypothesis of a similar na- 

 tsire to that just noticed, but still more weak and liable 

 to objections ; — he supposes that leprosy is the cause 

 of the black complexion and woolly hair of the negroes : 

 it will be sufficient to state two of his arguments to 

 prove how hard lie is pushed to support this opinion, 

 and how very absurdly, after all, he does support it : 

 leprosy is accompanied, in some instances, with a black 

 colour of the skin, therefore the black complexion of 

 the negroes arises from this cause ; but leprosy is also 

 described, as giving rise to preternatural whiteness; 

 hence this disease may also be considered as the cause 

 of the singular complexion of the Albinos, or white ne- 

 groes. His mode of accounting for the woolly hair of 

 the Africans on this hypothesis, is equally unphiloso- 

 phical : some medical writers look upon the plica po- 

 ionica, as a species of leprosy, but the hair in the plica 

 polonica, bears some slight resemblance to the hair of 

 negroes, therefore the leprosy is the cause of two of 

 the most distinguishing characters of this race, the 

 blackness of their complexion . and the crispature of 

 their hair. This kind of reasoning is not unworthy of 

 the man, who, in the same paper, could express his 

 belief, that two women had become black, and got the 

 features of negroes, by living with negro husbands. 

 This, too, is an additional proof, that all negroes are 

 lepers, as it puts it beyond a doubt that they are infec- 

 tious. See American Transactions, voL iv. . p. 289, &c. 



III. The different varieties of human complexion have 

 been classed by several authors : the classification of 

 Blumenbach, with some little alteration, is the most 

 clear, methodical, and satisfactory. We shall give his 

 classification of the more striking features, a§ well as 



of complexion, because, from the union and concomitan- 

 cy of particular sets of features, with particular kinds 

 of complexion, an argument will afterwards be drawn 

 respecting the influence of climate on the human com- 

 plexion. 



According to this author, there are five varieties; the 

 Caucasian, the Mongolean, the Malay, the Etliiopian, 

 and the American. 



1 . In the Caucasian variety, the skin is white, or 

 rather brownish ; the cheeks are red, and the hair of 

 the different shades, from black to yellow, or red. The 

 form of the head is nearly globular ; the face oval and 

 straight ; the forehead expanded ; the nose narrow at 

 the base, and rather aquiline ; the mouth small ; the 

 lower lip a little turned out, and the chin full and 

 rounded. In this variety, Blumenbach includes all the 

 Europeans except the Laplanders, the western Asiatics, 

 including the Georgians, Caucasians, Persians, Arabi- 

 ans, &c. the northern Africans, and the Abyssinians. 

 At first, he was disposed to arrange the Egyptians in 

 this variety, but afterwards he altered his opinion, and 

 placed them between the Circassian and Ethiopian. 

 Observations on some Egyptian Mummies, by J. F. Blu- 

 menbach, in the Philosophical Transactions Jor 1794. 

 The Gothic or German race, has also been taken out 

 of the Caucasian variety by Dr Pritchard, and formed 

 into a separate class, under the name of " Constitutio 

 Germanica avt Sanguinea." (Disputatio inangurali.i 

 de homiuum varietatibus. Auct. J. C. Pritchard.) This 

 has been done, rather on account of their difference in 

 complexion than in features. They are characterized 

 by blue eyes, flaxen hair, and very fair skin ; their fea- 

 tures are more rounded, and their ej^es smaller than 

 those of the nations which form the Caucasian variety. 

 The Danes, Norwegians, and Icelanders, exhibit the 

 peculiar features and complexion of the Gothic race, 

 in their purest state. 



2. In the Mongolian variety, the colour is olive, the 

 hair black, strong, and straight ; seldom curled, or in 

 great abundance : head of a square form ; face broad 

 and flattened ; nose small and flat ; eyes placed very 

 obliquely; chin projecting slightly ; the ears large, and 

 the lips thick. This variety comprehends all the Asi- 

 atic nations to the east of the Ob and the. Caspian, ex- 

 cept the Malays ; and according to Blumenbach, it also 

 includes the Laplanders, Esquimaux, Samoieds, &c. ; 

 but Dumeril forms a separate variety of these, and the 

 other tribes, who dwell near the north pole, under the 

 name of the Hyperborean variety. 



3. The colour of the. Malay variety is brown; their 

 hair, black, soft, curled, and abundant ; their head is 

 rather narrow ; their nose full and broad towards the 

 apex ; their mouth large. T,he peninsula of Malacca, 

 the islands near it, and those of the South Sea, are in- 

 habited by this, variety. 



4. The Ethiopian variety have black skin and eyes ; 

 their hair is black and woolly ; head narrow and com- 

 pressed laterally ; eyes prominent ; their nose and lips, 

 particularly the upper one, thick ; and then- chin re- 

 ceding. This variety comprehends all the Africans, 

 except those, which -are placed under the Caucasian va- 

 riety. 



5. The American variety have a red complexion ; 

 their hair resembles that of the Mongolian variety ; 

 their eyes are deep set ; their nose rather flattened, 1 

 and their face broad; All the inhabitants of the New 

 World, except the Esquimaux, are comprehended iii 

 this variety. 



The nature and colour of the hair seem closely con- 

 3 



Com- 

 plexion. 



Caucasian 

 variety. 



Mongoliaa 

 varietv» 



Malay 

 .variety. 



Ethiopian 

 variety. 



American 

 vanefv. 



