The plurality of the human race / by Georges Pouchet ; translated and ed. (from the 2nd ed.) by Hugh J.C. Beavan.

  • Georges Pouchet
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The plurality of the human race / by Georges Pouchet ; translated and ed. (from the 2nd ed.) by Hugh J.C. Beavan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    156/188 (page 138)
    intellect %]iown in their works, this measurement would be sufficient to establish a division; but there is more than that; all races have different aptitudes, and here is to be found the fault of Morton^s system, which only takes the whole, which makes no distinction between very different skulls if they have the same volume, like those of the Esquimaux, for in- stance, and those of Americans. The subject of measurement differs, like intellect, otherwise than merely in dimension, and that which craniology wants is the definition of all these special tendencies of the intellect by as many tangible varieties as possible.* Craniology is not anthropology; it assists it materially, but the partial results which it obtains have not necessarily the same value in the more general point of view of anthropology. Every classification, based on the form of the skull, will be necessarily an artificial classification, because it will only rest upon one sole order of phenomena. Besides, this study pre- sents great difficulties from the individual differences which the various heads show, in which the qualities belonging to the individual have been so far able to hide the general characters of the race, that these often remain unrecognisable. Divisions have also increased in proportion as craniological collections have come richer in specimens. Morton only reckoned eleven human races, but he believed under the truth. We may very well have a poor idea of the value of this classification by study- ing the materials which were used by the philosopher of Phil- adelphia. Besides the American race, Morton had only a very few skulls at his disposal. The Philadelphian collection, which has been much increased since his death, contained, only a few years ago, 1035 skulls, 38 of them pathological; there remain therefore but 997. Out of this number the American race figures in 502, or more than one-half. There remains, therefore 495, 154 of which came from the valley of the Nile; so that merely 350 skulls represent the whole of Europe, Asia, the Oceanic countries, and Africa (excepting- Egypt). This is not much for the purpose of classing a popula- tion likely to be raised to five hundred millions of inhabitants.f * See above, chap. iv. f See Indigenous Races of the Earth, p. 320.