1892.] The Contemporary Evolution of Man. 



British and Egyptians, belong to a small-toothed or "microdc 

 race; the Chinese, Indians (North American), Malayans j 

 Negroes in part are intermediate or " mesodont." while 

 Andamanese, Melanasions, Australians and Tasmanians 

 " macrodont." While undersize marks the molars as a \vl 

 the wisdom tooth is certainly in process of elimination ; it 

 the symptoms of decline; it is very variable in size, form i 

 in the date of its appearance: is often misplaced, and is 

 uncommonly quite rudimentary (Tomes). 1 II. n i- anoi 

 instance where the knife-and-ibrkless races reverse our dt^ 

 eracy, for in them not only is the last normal molar (m. .">) la 

 and cut long before the traditional years of discretion, bat in 

 first two lower molars are found two intermediate cusp- 1 Tom 

 which are variable or absent in us (Abbott) ; moreover, m 

 macrodont races a surplus molar 3 (m. 4) is sometimes de 

 oped. Mummery reports nine such cases among three h 

 dred and twenty-eight West Africans (Ashantis). Afl 

 instance of associated habit I may here mention that Dr. Li 

 holtz, the Australian explorer, informs me that in a< 

 natives the teeth are worn to the gum ; in the absence of t. 

 they are used in every occupation, from eviscerating a so 

 to cutting a root. A tour of inspection through any large 

 lection of skulls brings out the contrast between the sound < 

 hard-worn molars of the savage and the decayed and hi 

 worn molars of the white. 



Upon the descent theory the reduction of teeth in the ] 

 genitor of man began as far back as the Eocene period, tor 

 later than that remote age do we find the full com piemen 

 three incisors and four premolars in each jaw : now there 

 but two remaining of each. Baume, a high authority. beh< 

 he has discovered eleven cases of a rudimental reveraioi 

 one of these lost premolars 4 not cutting the jaw. Not m 

 quently both these missing teeth occur by reversion I 



2 o P . cit.. p. 418. s Kutra - n Tj 



"'"ol^dogttrF^cimrgenrp. 268. This rudiment is found between the 

 and second normal premolars. 



