336 Anomalies of Pigmentation among Natives of Nyasalancl 
Under my own Class (III) I shall consider cases of Xanthism as I understand 
that condition. Again I would refer to Sir H. Johnston's misleading remarks, 
"occasionally there are cases of positive Xanthism or a state of colouration similar 
in a much less degree to albinism — namely that wherein the colour of the skin 
and the iris of the eye is quite a light yellowish brown ; this type is very much 
admired by the negroes." It is the last sentence which shows the incorrectness 
of the deduction, though this of course would not be appreciated by anyone who 
does not know the country. 
The light coloured woman admired by natives has a yellow skin, a rather cold 
colour, with irides of a light brown, all the hair, however, is always black as in the 
average native. People of this colour are more common among certain tribes — 
the Achikunda, those of Senna on the Zambesi river, among the Yaos and the 
ruling families of Momberas Angoni — and I look upon this skin colour as a racial 
characteristic and not as a feature of Xanthism. Whether or not albinism is 
more commonly associated with such peoples I am unable to say, though Pearson 
thinks there is some reason to believe that blondism does exist side by side with 
albinism, occurring in the same districts and, it has been asserted, in the same 
stocks. This was first pointed out by Pritchard and has since been supported by 
Pearson, who quotes cases of men from Nyasaland observed by Turner in South 
Africa; the latter however remarks that these cases had " pubic hair brown," "in 
other cases the skin was a light rich red colour, wool on scalp a light yellow, the 
eyebrows and lashes reddish brown " ; these cases I should immediately admit as 
cases of Xanthism but not those referred to by Sir H. Johnston, who does not 
mention hair colour and the skin colour of whose cases is yellow rather than reddish 
brown. 
By Xanthism, then, I mean a condition characterised by a skin colour of 
reddish brown, red, or warm brown colour, scalp hair a golden or reddish brown, 
the same being true of the face and body hair, the irides being a light brown or 
hazel*. 
Just as cases of imperfect albinism or partial albinism have to be recognised, 
so there are degrees in Xanthism, as in one of Turner's cases, but I look upon 
the distinctive points about the affection as the peculiar reddish " warm " colour 
of the skin, generally if not always associated with a similar colour of all or some 
of the hair; the yellow-skinned natives referred to above, though lighter in colour 
than many cases of true Xanthism, very seldom freckle as Xanthous natives do. 
Dr Turner has also observed a number of natives with light hair "or down" 
on the temples, a fact which Pearson seems to think should be taken as significant 
as one of the first signs of a lighter pigmentation. With those downy hairs I am 
perfectly conversant but believe them to be merely an overgrowth of lanugo hairs. 
These fine downy hairs moreover are found in many natives elsewhere on the 
* [The difference between Dr Stannus and myself appears to be that while I speak of a red or 
yellowish red skin, red, brown or even yellowish brown hair and brown to yellow irides as cases of 
Xanthism, he excludes anything beyond golden brown in the bair, or beyond bazel in the irides. Ed.] 
