C O M 
Ec, 8 
authors, the origin, the antiquity, the growth, the change, 
ami the covipletcment, of fatire among the Romans. Dryden. 
COMPLE / TENESS,yi Perfection ; the ftate of being 
complete.—I cannot allow their wifdoin fuch a coniplete- 
ttefs as to exclude myfelf. King Charles. 
COMPLE' ITON, J'. Accomplifnment; aft of fulfil¬ 
ling; ltate of being fulfilled.—There was a full entire 
harmony and content of all the divine predictions, re¬ 
ceiving their completion in Chrift. South. —Utmoft height; 
perfeCt ftate.—He makes it the utmoft completion of an ill 
character to bear a malevolence to the beft men. Pope. 
COMTLEX, or Complexed, adj. [ complexus , Lat.] 
Compofite; of many parts; not Ample ; including many 
particulars.—Ideas made up of feveral Ample ones, I call 
complex-, fuch as beauty, gratitude, a man, the univerfe ; 
which, though complicated of various fimple ideas, or 
comjdex ideas made up of fimple ones, yet are confidered 
each by itfelf as one'. Locke. 
With fuch perfection fram’d 
Is this complex ftupendous fcheme of things. Thotnfon. 
COM'PLEX, f. Complication ; collection.—This pa¬ 
rable of the wedding fupper comprehends in it the whole 
complex of all the bleftings and privileges exhibited by the 
gofpel. South. 
COMPLEX'EDNESS, / Complication; involution of 
many particular parts in one integral ; contrariety to fim- 
plicity ; compound ltate of nature.—From the complexed- 
nefs of thefe moral ideas, there follows another inconveni¬ 
ence, that the mind cannot eafily retain thole precife com¬ 
binations. Locke. 
COMPLEX'iON,/! \_complexio, Lat.] The inclofure or 
involution of one thing in another.—Though the terms 
of propofitions may be complex, yet where the compofi- 
tion of the argument is plain, fimple, and regular, it is 
properly called a fimple fyllogifm, fince the complexion 
does not belong to the fyllogiftic form of it. IVatts. — 
The temperature of the body, according, to the various 
proportions of the four medical humours; 
Let melancholy rule fupreme, 
Cooler preiide, or blood, or phlegm, 
It makes no diff’rence in the cale. 
Nor is complexion honour's place. Swift. 
The colour of the external parts of any body.—Nicenefs, 
though it renders them infignificant to great purpoles, 
yet it polifties their complexion, and makes their ipirits 
feem more vigorous. Collier. 
Why doth not beauty then refine the wit, 
And good complexion rectify the will ? Davies. 
Few queftions in phyfiology have engaged the attention 
of naturalifts, more than the diversities of complexion 
among the human fpecies. The great differences in this 
refpeft have given occafion to feveral authors to afl'ei t, 
that the whole human race have not fprung from one ori¬ 
ginal ; but that as many different fpecies of men were a£ 
firft created, as there are now different colours to be 
found among them. On this fubjeft the late Dr. Hunter 
publifhed a thefis, in which he confiders the matter more 
accurately, and decides againft any fpecific difference 
among mankind. He introduces his fubjeft by obferving, 
that when the queftion has been agitated, whether all the 
human race conftituted only one l'pecies or not, much 
conf'ufion has arifen from the fenfe in which the term 
fpecies has been adopted. He therefore thinks it necef- 
fary to fet out with a definition of the term. He includes 
■under the fame fpecies all thofe animals which produce 
iifue capable of propagating others refembling the origi¬ 
nal flock from whence they fprung. This definition he 
illuftrales by having recourfe to the human fpecies as an 
example; and in this fenfe of the term lie concludes, 
that all of them are to be confidered as belonging to the 
fame fpecies. For as, in the cafe of plants, one fpecies 
comprehends feveral varieties depending tipon climate, 
foil, culture* and funilar accidents 5 fa he ccnfideis the 
C O M 
diverfities of the human race to be merely varieties-of 
the fame fpecies, produced by natural eaufes. Of the 
different colours- obfervable among mankind, he gives 
the following view: 
Black. Africans under the line; inhabitants of New 
Guinea ; inhabitants of New Holland.— Swarthy. The 
Moors in the northern parts of Africa; the Hottentots in 
the fouthern parts of it.— Copper-coloured. The 
Eaft Indians.— Red-coloured. The Americans.— 
Brown-coloured. Tartars, Perfians, Arabs, Africans 
on thecoalt of the Mediterranean,.Chinefe.—- Brownish. 
The inhabitants of the fouthern parts of Europe; as Si¬ 
cilians, Abyffiniaus, Spaniards, Turks, and likewife the 
Samoiedes and Laplanders.— White. Molt of the Eu¬ 
ropean nations; as Swedes, Danes, Englifh, Germans, 
Poles, 8cc. Kabardinfki, Georgians, inhabitants of the 
iflands in the Pacific Ocean. 
In attempting to inveftigate the eaufes of thefe dif¬ 
ferences, Dr. Hunter obferves, that there can be no dif- 
pute of the feat of colour being placed in the (kin ; that 
it is not even extended over the whole of this, but con¬ 
fined to that part named the cuticle, confifting of the. 
epidermis and reticulum ; and that it chiefly occupies the 
latter of thefe. The cuticle is much thicker and harder 
in black people, than in.the white; the reticulum in thet 
latter being a thin mucus, in the former a thick mem¬ 
brane. He concludes that this feat of colour in whits 
people is tranfparent, and either totally deprived of vef- 
fels, or only furnifhed with very few ; as the yellow co¬ 
lour in jaundice vanishes on the caule of the difeafe 
being removed ; which is not the cafe with ftains in the- 
cuticle from gunpowder, or other, eaufes. He next 
points out three eaufes deftroying the pellucidity of ths. 
cuticle, giving it a brown colour, and rendering ft. 
thicker. Thele are, accefs of air, naftinefs, and the heat 
of the fun. The influence of each of thefe iie proves by. 
many examples ; and from thefe he is inclined toconfider 
the laft as by much the moft powerful. If, however, it 
be admitted that thefe eaufes have this effeft, he thinks 
that all the diverfity of- colour which is to be obferved 
among mankind, may be eafily accounted for. He re¬ 
marks, that all the inhabitants of the torrid zone in¬ 
cline more or lefs to a black colour. When we obfervo 
the differences which occur among them, we mull at the 
fame time remember, that a black colour is not referred 
to heat alone, but to the other eaufes alfo: and when we 
attend to the diverfity of temperature that occurs even in 
the torrid zone, the exiflence of a white nation there would 
by no means deliroy the argument. He is farther of 
opinion, that the exiflence of a brown colour, and of 
confiderable varieties from white, in the northern and 
coidelt parts of Europe, may very eafily be explained. 
This he accounts for from the manner of life of the in¬ 
habitants, by which they are either expofed to the incle¬ 
mency of the air, or to conflant naftinefs from fmoky 
abodes., 
Having thus attempted to account,.from natural eaufes,. 
for the varieties which occur among mankind with rel'pfedt 
to colour, he obferves, that, to all this reafoning, an ob¬ 
jection will naturally be made, from confidering that in¬ 
fants bring thefe marks into the world with them, be¬ 
fore they can be expofed to any fuch eaufes. Dr. Hun¬ 
ter imagines, however, that this may readily be ex¬ 
plained, upon the fuppofition that many peculiarities ac¬ 
quired by parents are tranfmitted to their pollerity; and 
of this, he thinks, no one can entertain the leaft doubt 
who attends to hereditary difeafes. Thus, gout, fero- 
phula, mania, and many other affeftions, although at 
firft induced by particular accidents, will continue to af- 
feft families for many generations. In the fame manner, 
a parent expofed to eaufes deftroying the natural wbite- 
nefs of his complexion, will beget lwarthy children; and 
the fame eaufes continuing to operate uporrthe Ion, the 
darknefs will be increafed. Thus all the different fhaaes 
may have beenat firft induced* and afterwards continued.. 
This 
