Multisvideripoterit,majoremessodifferentiamSimiaeetHominis,quamdieietnoctis;verumtamenhi,comparationeinstitutaintersummosEuropaeHeroesetHottentottosadCaputbonaespeidegentes,difficillimesibipersuadebunt,haseosdemhaberenatales;velsivirginemnobilemaulicam,maximecomtamethumanissimam,conferrevellentcumhominesylvestrietsibirelicto,vixauguraripossent,huncetillamejusdemessespeciei。——’LinnaeiAmoenitatesAcad。
\"Anthropomorpha。\"’
THEquestionofquestionsformankind——theproblemwhichunderliesallothers,andismoredeeplyinterestingthananyother——istheascertainmentoftheplacewhichManoccupiesinnatureandofhisrelationstotheuniverseofthings。Whenceourracehascome;whatarethelimitsofourpowerovernature,andofnature’spoweroverus;towhatgoalwearetending;aretheproblemswhichpresentthemselvesanewandwithundiminishedinteresttoeverymanbornintotheworld。
Mostofus,shrinkingfromthedifficultiesanddangerswhichbesettheseekerafteroriginalanswerstotheseriddles,arecontentedtoignorethemaltogether,ortosmothertheinvestigatingspiritunderthefeatherbedofrespectedandrespectabletradition。But,ineveryage,oneortworestlessspirits,blessedwiththatconstructivegenius,whichcanonlybuildonasecurefoundation,orcursedwiththespiritofmerescepticism,areunabletofollowinthewell-wornandcomfortabletrackoftheirforefathersandcontemporaries,andunmindfulofthornsandstumbling-blocks,strikeoutintopathsoftheirown。Thescepticsendintheinfidelitywhichassertstheproblemtobeinsoluble,orintheatheismwhichdeniestheexistenceofanyorderlyprogressandgovernanceofthings:themenofgeniuspropoundsolutionswhichgrowintosystemsofTheologyorofPhilosophy,orveiledinmusicallanguagewhichsuggestsmorethanitasserts,taketheshapeofthePoetryofanepoch。
Eachsuchanswertothegreatquestion,invariablyassertedbythefollowersofitspropounder,ifnotbyhimself,tobecompleteandfinal,remainsinhighauthorityandesteem,itmaybeforonecentury,oritmaybefortwenty:but,asinvariably,Timeproveseachreplytohavebeenamereapproximationtothetruth——tolerablechieflyonaccountoftheignoranceofthosebywhomitwasaccepted,andwhollyintolerablewhentestedbythelargerknowledgeoftheirsuccessors。
Inawell-wornmetaphor,aparallelisdrawnbetweenthelifeofmanandthemetamorphosisofthecaterpillarintothebutterfly;butthecomparisonmaybemorejustaswellasmorenovel,ifforitsformertermwetakethementalprogressoftherace。Historyshowsthatthehumanmind,fedbyconstantaccessionsofknowledge,periodicallygrowstoolargeforitstheoreticalcoverings,andburststhemasundertoappearinnewhabiliments,asthefeedingandgrowinggrub,atintervals,castsitstoonarrowskinandassumesanother,itselfbuttemporary。TrulytheimagostateofManseemstobeterriblydistant,buteverymoultisastepgained,andofsuchtherehavebeenmany。
Sincetherevivaloflearning,wherebytheWesternracesofEuropewereenabledtoenteruponthatprogresstowardstrueknowledge,whichwascommencedbythephilosophersofGreece,butwasalmostarrestedinsubsequentlongagesofintellectualstagnation,or,atmost,gyration,thehumanlarvahasbeenfeedingvigorously,andmoultinginproportion。
Askinofsomedimensionwascastinthe16thcentury,andanothertowardstheendofthe18th,while,withinthelastfiftyyears,theextraordinarygrowthofeverydepartmentofphysicalsciencehasspreadamongusmentalfoodofsonutritiousandstimulatingacharacterthatanewecdysisseemsimminent。Butthisisaprocessnotunusuallyaccompaniedbymanythroesandsomesicknessanddebility,or,itmaybe,bygraverdisturbances;sothateverygoodcitizenmustfeelboundtofacilitatetheprocess,andevenifhehavenothingbutascalpeltoworkwithal,toeasethecrackingintegumenttothebestofhisability。
Inthisdutyliesmyexcuseforthepublicationoftheseessays。Foritwillbeadmittedthatsomeknowledgeofman’spositionintheanimateworldisanindispensablepreliminarytotheproperunderstandingofhisrelationstotheuniverse——andthisagainresolvesitself,inthelongrun,intoaninquiryintothenatureandtheclosenessofthetieswhichconnecthimwiththosesingularcreatureswhosehistory*hasbeensketchedintheprecedingpages。
[footnote]*Itwillbeunderstoodthat,intheprecedingEssay,Ihaveselectedfornoticefromthevastmassofpaperswhichhavebeenwrittenupontheman-likeApes,onlythosewhichseemtometobeofspecialmoment。
TheimportanceofsuchaninquiryisindeedintuitivelymanifestBroughtfacetofacewiththeseblurredcopiesofhimself,theleastthoughtfulofmenisconsciousofacertainshock,dueperhaps,notsomuchtodisgustattheaspectofwhatlookslikeaninsultingcaricature,astotheawakeningofasuddenandprofoundmistrustoftime-honouredtheoriesandstrongly-rootedprejudicesregardinghisownpositioninnature,andhisrelationstotheunder-worldoflife;whilethatwhichremainsadimsuspicionfortheunthinking,becomesavastargument,fraughtwiththedeepestconsequences,forallwhoareacquaintedwiththerecentprogressoftheanatomicalandphysiologicalsciences。
Inowproposebrieflytounfoldthatargument,andtosetforth,inaformintelligibletothosewhopossessnospecialacquaintancewithanatomicalscience,thechieffactsuponwhichallconclusionsrespectingthenatureandtheextentofthebondswhichconnectmanwiththebruteworldmustbebased:Ishallthenindicatetheoneimmediateconclusionwhich,inmyjudgment,isjustifiedbythosefacts,andI
shallfinallydiscussthebearingofthatconclusionuponthehypotheseswhichhavebeenentertainedrespectingtheOriginofMan。
ThefactstowhichIwouldfirstdirectthereader’sattention,thoughignoredbymanyoftheprofessedinstructorsofthepublicmind,areeasyofdemonstrationandareuniversallyagreedtobymenofscience;
whiletheirsignificanceissogreat,thatwhosohasdulyponderedoverthemwill,Ithink,findlittletostartlehimintheotherrevelationsofBiology。IrefertothosefactswhichhavebeenmadeknownbythestudyofDevelopment。
Itisatruthofverywide,ifnotofuniversal,application,thateverylivingcreaturecommencesitsexistenceunderaformdifferentfrom,andsimplerthan,thatwhichiteventuallyattains。
FIG。12。——A。EggoftheDog,withthevitellinemembraneburst,soastogiveexittotheyolk,thegerminalvesicle(a),anditsincludedspot(b)。B。C。D。EF。Successivechangesoftheyolkindicatedinthetext。AfterBischoff。
Theoakisamorecomplexthingthanthelittlerudimentaryplantcontainedintheacorn;thecaterpillarismorecomplexthantheegg;
thebutterflythanthecaterpillar;andeachofthesebeings,inpassingfromitsrudimentarytoitsperfectcondition,runsthroughaseriesofchanges,thesumofwhichiscalleditsDevelopment。Inthehigheranimalsthesechangesareextremelycomplicated;but,withinthelasthalfcentury,thelaboursofsuchmenasVonBaer,Rathke,Reichert,Bischof,andRemak,havealmostcompletelyunravelledthem,sothatthesuccessivestagesofdevelopmentwhichareexhibitedbyaDog,forexample,arenowaswellknowntotheembryologistasarethestepsofthemetamorphosisofthesilkwormmothtotheschool-boy。Itwillbeusefultoconsiderwithattentionthenatureandtheorderofthestagesofcaninedevelopment,asanexampleoftheprocessinthehigheranimalsgenerally。
TheDog,likeallanimals,savetheverylowest(andfurtherinquiriesmaynotimprobablyremovetheapparentexception),commencesitsexistenceasanegg:asabodywhichis,ineverysense,asmuchaneggasthatofahen,butisdevoidofthataccumulationofnutritivematterwhichconfersuponthebird’seggitsexceptionalsizeanddomesticutility;andwantstheshell,whichwouldnotonlybeuselesstoananimalincubatedwithinthebodyofitsparent,butwouldcutitofffromaccesstothesourceofthatnutrimentwhichtheyoungcreaturerequires,butwhichtheminuteeggofthemammaldoesnotcontainwithinitself。
TheDog’seggis,infact,alittlespheroidalbag(Fig。12),formedofadelicatetransparentmembranecalledthe’vitellinemembrane’,andabout1/130to1/120thofaninchindiameter。Itcontainsamassofviscidnutritivematter——the’yelk’——withinwhichisinclosedasecondmuchmoredelicatespheroidalbag,calledthe’germinalvesicle’(a)。
Inthis,lastly,liesamoresolidroundedbody,termedthe’germinalspot’(b)。
Theegg,or’Ovum,’isoriginallyformedwithinagland,fromwhich,indueseason,itbecomesdetached,andpassesintothelivingchamberfittedforitsprotectionandmaintenanceduringtheprotractedprocessofgestation。Here,whensubjectedtotherequiredconditions,thisminuteandapparentlyinsignificantparticleoflivingmatterbecomesanimatedbyanewandmysteriousactivity。Thegerminalvesicleandspotceasetobediscernible(theirprecisefatebeingoneoftheyetunsolvedproblemsofembryology),buttheyelkbecomescircumferentiallyindented,asifaninvisibleknifehadbeendrawnroundit,andthusappearsdividedintotwohemispheres(Fig。12,C)。
Bytherepetitionofthisprocessinvariousplanes,thesehemispheresbecomesubdivided,sothatfoursegmentsareproduced(D);andthese,inlikemanner,divideandsubdivideagain,untilthewholeyelkisconvertedintoamassofgranules,eachofwhichconsistsofaminutespheroidofyelk-substance,inclosingacentralparticle,theso-called’nucleus’(F)。Nature,bythisprocess,hasattainedmuchthesameresultasthatatwhichahumanartificerarrivesbyhisoperationsinabrickfield。Shetakestheroughplasticmaterialoftheyelkandbreaksitupintowell-shapedtolerablyeven-sizedmasses,handyforbuildingupintoanypartofthelivingedifice。
FIG。13。——EarliestrudimentoftheDog。B。Rudimentfurtheradvanced,showingthefoundationsofthehead,tail,andvertebralcolumn。C。
Theveryyoungpuppy,withattachedendsoftheyelk-sacandallantois,andinvestedintheamnion。
Next,themassoforganicbricks,or’cells’astheyaretechnicallycalled,thusformed,acquiresanorderlyarrangement,becomingconvertedintoahollowspheroidwithdoublewalls。Then,upononesideofthisspheroid,appearsathickening,and,byandbye,inthecentreoftheareaofthickening,astraightshallowgroove(Fig。13,A)marksthecentrallineoftheedificewhichistoberaised,or,inotherwords,indicatesthepositionofthemiddlelineofthebodyofthefuturedog。Thesubstanceboundingthegrooveoneachsidenextrisesupintoafold,therudimentofthesidewallofthatlongcavity,whichwilleventuallylodgethespinalmarrowandthebrain;
andinthefloorofthischamberappearsasolidcellularcord,theso-called’notochord。’Oneendoftheinclosedcavitydilatestoformthehead(Fig。13,B),theotherremainsnarrow,andeventuallybecomesthetail;thesidewallsofthebodyarefashionedoutofthedownwardcontinuationofthewallsofthegroove;andfromthem,byandbye,growoutlittlebudswhich,bydegrees,assumetheshapeoflimbs。
Watchingthefashioningprocessstagebystage,oneisforciblyremindedofthemodellerinclay。Everypart,everyorgan,isatfirst,asitwere,pincheduprudely,andsketchedoutintherough;
thenshapedmoreaccurately;andonly,atlast,receivesthetoucheswhichstampitsfinalcharacter。
Thus,atlength,theyoungpuppyassumessuchaformasisshowninFig。
13,C。Inthisconditionithasadisproportionatelylargehead,asdissimilartothatofadogasthebud-likelimbsareunlikehislegs。
Theremainsoftheyelk,whichhavenotyetbeenappliedtothenutritionandgrowthoftheyounganimal,arecontainedinasacattachedtotherudimentaryintestine,andtermedtheyelksac,or’umbilicalvesicle。’Twomembranousbags,intendedtosubserverespectivelytheprotectionandnutritionoftheyoungcreature,havebeendevelopedfromtheskinandfromtheunderandhindersurfaceofthebody;theformer,theso-called’amnion,’isasacfilledwithfluid,whichinveststhewholebodyoftheembryo,andplaysthepartofasortofwater-bedforit;theother,termedthe’allantois,’growsout,loadedwithblood-vessels,fromtheventralregion,andeventuallyapplyingitselftothewallsofthecavity,inwhichthedevelopingorganismiscontained,enablesthesevesselstobecomethechannelbywhichthestreamofnutriment,requiredtosupplythewantsoftheoffspring,isfurnishedtoitbytheparent。
Thestructurewhichisdevelopedbytheinterlacementofthevesselsoftheoffspringwiththoseoftheparent,andbymeansofwhichtheformerisenabledtoreceivenourishmentandtogetridofeffetematters,istermedthe’Placenta。’
Itwouldbetedious,anditisunnecessaryformypresentpurpose,totracetheprocessofdevelopmentfurther;sufficeittosay,that,byalongandgradualseriesofchanges,therudimentheredepictedanddescribedbecomesapuppy,isborn,andthen,bystillslowerandlessperceptiblesteps,passesintotheadultDog。
ThereisnotmuchapparentresemblancebetweenabarndoorFowlandtheDogwhoprotectsthefarm-yard。Neverthelessthestudentofdevelopmentfinds,notonlythatthechickcommencesitsexistenceasanegg,primarilyidentical,inallessentialrespects,withthatoftheDog,butthattheyelkofthiseggundergoesdivision——thattheprimitivegroovearises,andthatthecontiguouspartsofthegermarefashioned,bypreciselysimilarmethods,intoayoungchick,which,atonestageofitsexistence,issolikethenascentDog,thatordinaryinspectionwouldhardlydistinguishthetwo。
Thehistoryofthedevelopmentofanyothervertebrateanimal,Lizard,Snake,Frog,orFish,tellsthesamestory。Thereisalways,tobeginwith,anegghavingthesameessentialstructureasthatoftheDog:——theyelkofthateggalwaysundergoesdivision,or’segmentation’
asitisoftencalled:theultimateproductsofthatsegmentationconstitutethebuildingmaterialsforthebodyoftheyounganimal;andthisisbuiltuproundaprimitivegroove,inthefloorofwhichanotochordisdeveloped。Furthermore,thereisaperiodinwhichtheyoungofalltheseanimalsresembleoneanother,notmerelyinoutwardform,butinallessentialsofstructure,soclosely,thatthedifferencesbetweenthemareinconsiderable,while,intheirsubsequentcourse,theydivergemoreandmorewidelyfromoneanother。Anditisagenerallaw,that,themorecloselyanyanimalsresembleoneanotherinadultstructure,thelongerandthemoreintimatelydotheirembryosresembleoneanother:sothat,forexample,theembryosofaSnakeandofaLizardremainlikeoneanotherlongerthandothoseofaSnakeandofaBird;andtheembryoofaDogandofaCatremainlikeoneanotherforafarlongerperiodthandothoseofaDogandaBird;orofaDogandanOpossum;oreventhanthoseofaDogandaMonkey。
Thusthestudyofdevelopmentaffordsacleartestofclosenessofstructuralaffinity,andoneturnswithimpatiencetoinquirewhatresultsareyieldedbythestudyofthedevelopmentofMan。Ishesomethingapart?DoesheoriginateinatotallydifferentwayfromDog,Bird,Frog,andFish,thusjustifyingthosewhoasserthimtohavenoplaceinnatureandnorealaffinitywiththelowerworldofanimallife?Ordoesheoriginateinasimilargerm,passthroughthesameslowandgraduallyprogressivemodifications,——dependonthesamecontrivancesforprotectionandnutrition,andfinallyentertheworldbythehelpofthesamemechanism?Thereplyisnotdoubtfulforamoment,andhasnotbeendoubtfulanytimethesethirtyyears。Withoutquestion,themodeoforiginandtheearlystagesofthedevelopmentofmanareidenticalwiththoseoftheanimalsimmediatelybelowhiminthescale:——withoutadoubt,intheserespects,heisfarnearertheApes,thantheApesaretotheDog。
TheHumanovumisaboutl/125ofaninchindiameter,andmightbedescribedinthesametermsasthatoftheDog,sothatIneedonlyrefertothefigureillustrative(14A)ofitsstructure。Itleavestheorganinwhichitisformedinasimilarfashionandenterstheorganicchamberpreparedforitsreceptioninthesameway,theconditionsofitsdevelopmentbeinginallrespectsthesame。Ithasnotyetbeenpossible(andonlybysomerarechancecaniteverbepossible)tostudythehumanovuminsoearlyadevelopmentalstageasthatofyelkdivision,butthereiseveryreasontoconcludethatthechangesitundergoesareidenticalwiththoseexhibitedbytheovaofothervertebratedanimals;fortheformativematerialsofwhichtherudimentaryhumanbodyiscomposed,intheearliestconditionsinwhichithasbeenobserved,arethesameasthoseofotheranimals。Someoftheseearlieststagesarefiguredbelow,and,aswillbeseen,theyarestrictlycomparabletotheveryearlystatesoftheDog;themarvellouscorrespondencebetweenthetwowhichiskeptup,evenforsometime,asdevelopmentadvances,becomingapparentbythesimplecomparisonofthefigureswiththoseonpage249。
Fig。14。——A。Humanovum(afterKolliker)。a。germinalvesicle。b。
germinalspot。B。AveryearlyconditionofMan,withyelk-sac,allantois,andamnion(original)。C。Amoreadvancedstage(afterKolliker),compareFig。13,C。
Indeed,itisverylongbeforethebodyoftheyounghumanbeingcanbereadilydiscriminatedfromthatoftheyoungpuppy;but,atatolerablyearlyperiod,thetwobecomedistinguishablebythedifferentformoftheiradjuncts,theyelk-sacandtheallantois。Theformer,intheDog,becomeslongandspindle-shaped,whileinManitremainsspherical;thelatter,intheDog,attainsanextremelylargesize,andthevascularprocesseswhicharedevelopedfromitandeventuallygiverisetotheformationoftheplacenta(takingroot,asitwere,intheparentalorganism,soastodrawnourishmenttherefrom,astherootofatreeextractsitfromthesoil)arearrangedinanencirclingzone,whileinMan,theallantoisremainscomparativelysmall,anditsvascularrootletsareeventuallyrestrictedtoonedisk-likespot。
Hence,whiletheplacentaoftheDogislikeagirdle,thatofManhasthecake-likeform,indicatedbythenameoftheorgan。
But,exactlyinthoserespectsinwhichthedevelopingMandiffersfromtheDog,heresemblestheape,which,likeman,hasaspheroidalyelk-sacandadiscoidal——sometimespartiallylobed——placenta。Sothatitisonlyquiteinthelaterstagesofdevelopmentthattheyounghumanbeingpresentsmarkeddifferencesfromtheyoungape,whilethelatterdepartsasmuchfromthedoginitsdevelopment,asthemandoes。
Startlingasthelastassertionmayappeartobe,itisdemonstrablytrue,anditaloneappearstomesufficienttoplacebeyondalldoubtthestructuralunityofmanwiththerestoftheanimalworld,andmoreparticularlyandcloselywiththeapes。
Thus,identicalinthephysicalprocessesbywhichheoriginates——identicalintheearlystagesofhisformation——identicalinthemodeofhisnutritionbeforeandafterbirth,withtheanimalswhichlieimmediatelybelowhiminthescale——Man,ifhisadultandperfectstructurebecomparedwiththeirs,exhibits,asmightbeexpected,amarvellouslikenessoforganization。Heresemblesthemastheyresembleoneanother——hediffersfromthemastheydifferfromoneanother。——And,thoughthesedifferencesandresemblancescannotbeweighedandmeasured,theirvaluemaybereadilyestimated;thescaleorstandardofjudgment,touchingthatvalue,beingaffordedandexpressedbythesystemofclassificationofanimalsnowcurrentamongzoologists。
Acarefulstudyoftheresemblancesanddifferencespresentedbyanimalshas,infact,lednaturaliststoarrangethemintogroups,orassemblages,allthemembersofeachgrouppresentingacertainamountofdefinableresemblance,andthenumberofpointsofsimilaritybeingsmallerasthegroupislargerand’viceversa’。Thus,allcreatureswhichagreeonlyinpresentingthefewdistinctivemarksofanimalityformthe’Kingdom’ANIMALIA。ThenumerousanimalswhichagreeonlyinpossessingthespecialcharactersofVertebratesformone’Sub-Kingdom’
ofthisKingdom。ThentheSub-kingdomVERTEBRATAissubdividedintothefive’Classes,’Fishes,Amphibians,Reptiles,Birds,andMammals,andtheseintosmallergroupscalled’Orders’;theseinto’Families’
and’Genera’;whilethelastarefinallybrokenupintothesmallestassemblages,whicharedistinguishedbythepossessionofconstant,not-sexual,characters。TheseultimategroupsareSpecies。
Everyyeartendstobringaboutagreateruniformityofopinionthroughoutthezoologicalworldastothelimitsandcharactersofthesegroups,greatandsmall。Atpresent,forexample,noonehastheleastdoubtregardingthecharactersoftheclassesMammalia,Aves,orReptilia;nordoesthequestionarisewhetheranythoroughlywell-knownanimalshouldbeplacedinoneclassortheother。Again,thereisaverygeneralagreementrespectingthecharactersandlimitsoftheordersofMammals,andastotheanimalswhicharestructurallynecessitatedtotakeaplaceinoneoranotherorder。
Noonedoubts,forexample,thattheSlothandtheAnt-eater,theKangarooandtheOpossum,theTigerandtheBadger,theTapirandtheRhinoceros,arerespectivelymembersofthesameorders。Thesesuccessivepairsofanimalsmay,andsomedo,differfromoneanotherimmensely,insuchmattersastheproportionsandstructureoftheirlimbs;thenumberoftheirdorsalandlumbarvertebrae;theadaptationoftheirframestoclimbing,leaping,orrunning;thenumberandformoftheirteeth;andthecharactersoftheirskullsandofthecontainedbrain。But,withallthesedifferences,theyaresocloselyconnectedinallthemoreimportantandfundamentalcharactersoftheirorganization,andsodistinctlyseparatedbythesesamecharactersfromotheranimals,thatzoologistsfinditnecessarytogroupthemtogetherasmembersofoneorder。Andifanynewanimalwerediscovered,andwerefoundtopresentnogreaterdifferencefromtheKangarooandtheOpossum,forexample,thantheseanimalsdofromoneanother,thezoologistwouldnotonlybelogicallycompelledtorankitinthesameorderwiththese,buthewouldnotthinkofdoingotherwise。
Bearingthisobviouscourseofzoologicalreasoninginmind,letusendeavourforamomenttodisconnectourthinkingselvesfromthemaskofhumanity;letusimagineourselvesscientificSaturnians,ifyouwill,fairlyacquaintedwithsuchanimalsasnowinhabittheEarth,andemployedindiscussingtherelationstheybeartoanewandsingular’erectandfeatherlessbiped,’whichsomeenterprisingtraveller,overcomingthedifficultiesofspaceandgravitation,hasbroughtfromthatdistantplanetforourinspection,wellpreserved,maybe,inacaskofrum。Weshouldall,atonce,agreeuponplacinghimamongthemammalianvertebrates;andhislowerjaw,hismolars,andhisbrain,wouldleavenoroomfordoubtingthesystematicpositionofthenewgenusamongthosemammals,whoseyoungarenourishedduringgestationbymeansofaplacenta,orwhatarecalledthe’placentalmammals。’
Further,themostsuperficialstudywouldatonceconvinceusthat,amongtheordersofplacentalmammals,neithertheWhales,northehoofedcreatures,northeSlothsandAnt-eaters,northecarnivorousCats,Dogs,andBears,stilllesstheRodentRatsandRabbits,ortheInsectivorousMolesandHedgehogs,ortheBats,couldclaimour’Homo’,asoneofthemselves。
Therewouldremainthen,butoneorderforcomparison,thatoftheApes(usingthatwordinitsbroadestsense),andthequestionfordiscussionwouldnarrowitselftothis——isMansodifferentfromanyoftheseApesthathemustformanorderbyhimself?Ordoeshedifferlessfromthemthantheydifferfromoneanother,andhencemusttakehisplaceinthesameorderwiththem?
Beinghappilyfreefromallreal,orimaginary,personalinterestintheresultsoftheinquirythussetafoot,weshouldproceedtoweightheargumentsononesideandontheother,withasmuchjudicialcalmnessasifthequestionrelatedtoanewOpossum。Weshouldendeavourtoascertain,withoutseekingeithertomagnifyordiminishthem,allthecharactersbywhichournewMammaldifferedfromtheApes;andifwefoundthatthesewereoflessstructuralvalue,thanthosewhichdistinguishcertainmembersoftheApeorderfromothersuniversallyadmittedtobeofthesameorder,weshouldundoubtedlyplacethenewlydiscoveredtelluriangenuswiththem。
Inowproceedtodetailthefactswhichseemtometoleaveusnochoicebuttoadoptthelastmentionedcourse。
ItisquitecertainthattheApewhichmostnearlyapproachesman,inthetotalityofitsorganization,iseithertheChimpanzeeortheGorilla;andasitmakesnopracticaldifference,forthepurposesofmypresentargument,whichisselectedforcomparison,ontheonehand,withMan,andontheotherhand,withtherestofthePrimates,*Ishallselectthelatter(sofarasitsorganizationisknown)——asabrutenowsocelebratedinproseandverse,thatallmusthaveheardofhim,andhaveformedsomeconceptionofhisappearance。Ishalltakeupasmanyofthemostimportantpointsofdifferencebetweenmanandthisremarkablecreature,asthespaceatmydisposalwillallowmetodiscuss,andthenecessitiesoftheargumentdemand;andIshallinquireintothevalueandmagnitudeofthesedifferences,whenplacedsidebysidewiththosewhichseparatetheGorillafromotheranimalsofthesameorder。
[Footnote]*WearenotatpresentthoroughlyacquaintedwiththebrainoftheGorilla,andtherefore,indiscussingcerebralcharacters,IshalltakethatoftheChimpanzeeasmyhighesttermamongtheApes。
InthegeneralproportionsofthebodyandlimbsthereisaremarkabledifferencebetweentheGorillaandMan,whichatoncestrikestheeye。
TheGorilla’sbrain-caseissmaller,itstrunklarger,itslowerlimbsshorter,itsupperlimbslongerinproportionthanthoseofMan。
Ifindthatthevertebralcolumnofafull-grownGorilla,intheMuseumoftheRoyalCollegeofSurgeons,measures27inchesalongitsanteriorcurvature,fromtheupperedgeoftheatlas,orfirstvertebraoftheneck,tothelowerextremityofthesacrum;thatthearm,withoutthehand,is31-1/2incheslong;thattheleg,withoutthefoot,is26-1/2
incheslong;thatthehandis9-3/4incheslong;thefoot11-1/4incheslong。
Inotherwords,takingthelengthofthespinalcolumnas100,thearmequals115,theleg96,thehand36,andthefoot41。
IntheskeletonofamaleBosjesman,inthesamecollection,theproportions,bythesamemeasurement,tothespinalcolumn,takenas100,are——thearm78,theleg110,thehand26,andthefoot32。Inawomanofthesameracethearmis83,andtheleg120,thehandandfootremainingthesame。InaEuropeanskeletonIfindthearmtobe80,theleg117,thehand26,thefoot35。
Thusthelegisnotsodifferentasitlooksatfirstsight,initsproportiontothespineintheGorillaandintheMan——beingveryslightlyshorterthanthespineintheformer,andbetween1/10and1/5
longerthanthespineinthelatter。ThefootislongerandthehandmuchlongerintheGorilla;butthegreatdifferenceiscausedbythearms,whichareverymuchlongerthanthespineintheGorilla,verymuchshorterthanthespineintheMan。
ThequestionnowariseshowaretheotherApesrelatedtotheGorillaintheserespects——takingthelengthofthespine,measuredinthesameway,at100。InanadultChimpanzee,thearmisonly96,theleg90,thehand43,thefoot39——sothatthehandandthelegdepartmorefromthehumanproportionandthearmless,whilethefootisaboutthesameasintheGorilla。
IntheOrang,thearmsareverymuchlongerthanintheGorilla(122),whilethelegsareshorter(88);thefootislongerthanthehand(52
and48),andbotharemuchlongerinproportiontothespine。
Intheotherman-likeApesagain,theGibbons,theseproportionsarestillfurtheraltered;thelengthofthearmsbeingtothatofthespinalcolumnas19to11;whilethelegsarealsoathirdlongerthanthespinalcolumn,soastobelongerthaninMan,insteadofshorter。
Thehandishalfaslongasthespinalcolumn,andthefoot,shorterthanthehand,isabout5/11thsofthelengthofthespinalcolumn。
Thus’Hylobates’isasmuchlongerinthearmsthantheGorilla,astheGorillaislongerinthearmsthanMan;while,ontheotherhand,itisasmuchlongerinthelegsthantheMan,astheManislongerinthelegsthantheGorilla,sothatitcontainswithinitselftheextremestdeviationsfromtheaveragelengthofbothpairsoflimbs(Seetheillustrationonpage196)。
TheMandrillpresentsamiddlecondition,thearmsandlegsbeingnearlyequalinlength,andbothbeingshorterthanthespinalcolumn;whilehandandfoothavenearlythesameproportionstooneanotherandtothespine,asinMan。
IntheSpidermonkey(’Ateles’)thelegislongerthanthespine,andthearmthantheleg;and,finally,inthatremarkableLemurineform,theIndri(’Lichanotus’),thelegisaboutaslongasthespinalcolumn,whilethearmisnotmorethan11/18ofitslength;thehandhavingratherlessandthefootrathermore,thanone-thirdthelengthofthespinalcolumn。
Theseexamplesmightbegreatlymultiplied,buttheysufficetoshowthat,inwhateverproportionofitslimbstheGorilladiffersfromMan,theotherApesdepartstillmorewidelyfromtheGorillaandthat,consequently,suchdifferencesofproportioncanhavenoordinalvalue。
Wemaynextconsiderthedifferencespresentedbythetrunk,consistingofthevertebralcolumn,orbackbone,andtheribsandpelvis,orbonyhip-basin,whichareconnectedwithit,inManandintheGorillarespectively。
InMan,inconsequencepartlyofthedispositionofthearticularsurfacesofthevertebrae,andlargelyoftheelastictensionofsomeofthefibrousbands,orligaments,whichconnectthesevertebraetogether,thespinalcolumn,asawhole,hasanelegantS-likecurvature,beingconvexforwardsintheneck,concaveintheback,convexintheloins,orlumbarregion,andconcaveagaininthesacralregion;anarrangementwhichgivesmuchelasticitytothewholebackbone,anddiminishesthejarcommunicatedtothespine,andthroughittothehead,bylocomotionintheerectposition。
Furthermore,underordinarycircumstances,Manhassevenvertebraeinhisneck,whicharecalled’cervical’;twelvesucceedthese,bearingribsandformingtheupperpartoftheback,whencetheyaretermed’dorsal’;fivelieintheloins,bearingnodistinct,orfree,ribs,andarecalled’lumbar’;five,unitedtogetherintoagreatbone,excavatedinfront,solidlywedgedinbetweenthehipbones,toformthebackofthepelvis,andknownbythenameofthe’sacrum’,succeedthese;andfinally,threeorfourlittlemoreorlessmovablebones,sosmallastobeinsignificant,constitutethe’coccyx’orrudimentarytail。
IntheGorilla,thevertebralcolumnissimilarlydividedintocervical,dorsal,lumbar,sacral,andcoccygealvertebrae,andthetotalnumberofcervicalanddorsalvertebrae,takentogether,isthesameasinMan;butthedevelopmentofapairofribstothefirstlumbarvertebra,whichisanexceptionaloccurrenceinMan,istheruleintheGorilla;
andhence,aslumbararedistinguishedfromdorsalvertebraeonlybythepresenceorabsenceoffreeribs,theseventeen\"dorso-lumbar\"
vertebraeoftheGorillaaredividedintothirteendorsalandfourlumbar,whileinMantheyaretwelvedorsalandfivelumbar。
FIG。15。——FrontandsideviewsofthebonypelvisofMan,theGorillaandGibbon:reducedfromdrawingsmadefromnature,ofthesameabsolutelength,byMr。WaterhouseHawkins。
Notonly,however,doesManoccasionallypossessthirteenpairofribs,*
buttheGorillasometimeshasfourteenpairs,whileanOrang-UtanskeletonintheMuseumoftheRoyalCollegeofSurgeonshastwelvedorsalandfivelumbarvertebrae,asinMan。Cuviernotesthesamenumberina’Hylobates’。Ontheotherhand,amongthelowerApes,manypossesstwelvedorsalandsixorsevenlumbarvertebrae;theDouroucoulihasfourteendorsalandeightlumbar,andaLemur(’Stenopstardigradus’)hasfifteendorsalandninelumbarvertebrae。
[Footnote]*\"Morethanonce,\"saysPeterCamper,\"haveImetwithmorethansixlumbarvertebraeinman……OnceI
foundthirteenribsandfourlumbarvertebrae。\"Fallopiusnotedthirteenpairofribsandonlyfourlumbarvertebrae;
andEustachiusoncefoundelevendorsalvertebraeandsixlumbarvertebrae。——’OeuvresdePierreCamper’,T。1,p。
42。AsTysonstates,his’Pygmie’hadthirteenpairofribsandfivelumbarvertebrae。ThequestionofthecurvesofthespinalcolumnintheApesrequiresfurtherinvestigation。
ThevertebralcolumnoftheGorilla,asawhole,differsfromthatofManinthelessmarkedcharacterofitscurves,especiallyintheslighterconvexityofthelumbarregion。Nevertheless,thecurvesarepresent,andarequiteobviousinyoungskeletonsoftheGorillaandChimpanzeewhichhavebeenpreparedwithoutremovaloftheligaments。
InyoungOrangssimilarlypreserved,ontheotherhand,thespinalcolumniseitherstraight,orevenconcaveforwards,throughoutthelumbarregion。
Whetherwetakethesecharactersthen,orsuchminoronesasthosewhicharederivablefromtheproportionallengthofthespinesofthecervicalvertebrae,andthelike,thereisnodoubtwhatsoeverastothemarkeddifferencebetweenManandtheGorilla;butthereisaslittle,thatequallymarkeddifferences,oftheverysameorder,obtainbetweentheGorillaandthelowerApes。
ThePelvis,orbonygirdleofthehips,ofManisastrikinglyhumanpartofhisorganization;theexpandedhaunchbonesaffordingsupportforhisvisceraduringhishabituallyerectposture,andgivingspacefortheattachmentofthegreatmuscleswhichenablehimtoassumeandtopreservethatattitude。IntheserespectsthepelvisoftheGorilladiffersveryconsiderablyfromhis(Fig。15)。ButgonolowerthantheGibbon,andseehowvastlymorehediffersfromtheGorillathanthelatterdoesfromMan,eveninthisstructure。Lookattheflat,narrowhaunchbones——thelongandnarrowpassage——thecoarse,outwardlycurved,ischiaticprominencesonwhichtheGibbonhabituallyrests,andwhicharecoatedbytheso-called\"callosities,\"densepatchesofskin,whollyabsentintheGorilla,intheChimpanzee,andintheOrang,asinMan!
InthelowerMonkeysandintheLemursthedifferencebecomesmorestrikingstill,thepelvisacquiringanaltogetherquadrupedalcharacter。
Butnowletusturntoanoblerandmorecharacteristicorgan——thatbywhichthehumanframeseemstobe,andindeedis,sostronglydistinguishedfromallothers,——Imeantheskull。ThedifferencesbetweenaGorilla’sskullandaMan’saretrulyimmense(Fig。16)。Intheformer,theface,formedlargelybythemassivejaw-bones,predominatesoverthebraincase,orcraniumproper:inthelatter,theproportionsofthetwoarereversed。IntheMan,theoccipitalforamen,throughwhichpassesthegreatnervouscordconnectingthebrainwiththenervesofthebody,isplacedjustbehindthecentreofthebaseoftheskull,whichthusbecomesevenlybalancedintheerectposture;intheGorilla,itliesintheposteriorthirdofthatbase。
IntheMan,thesurfaceoftheskulliscomparativelysmooth,andthesupraciliaryridgesorbrowprominencesusuallyprojectbutlittle——while,intheGorilla,vastcrestsaredevelopedupontheskull,andthebrowridgesoverhang,thecavernousorbits,likegreatpenthouses。
Sectionsoftheskulls,however,showthatsomeoftheapparentdefectsoftheGorilla’scraniumarise,infact,notsomuchfromdeficiencyofbraincaseasfromexcessivedevelopmentofthepartsoftheface。Thecranialcavityisnotill-shaped,andtheforeheadisnottrulyflattenedorveryretreating,itsreallywell-formedcurvebeingsimplydisguisedbythemassofbonewhichisbuiltupagainstit(Fig。16)。
Buttheroofsoftheorbitsrisemoreobliquelyintothecranialcavity,thusdiminishingthespaceforthelowerpartoftheanteriorlobesofthebrain,andtheabsolutecapacityofthecraniumisfarlessthanthatofMan。SofarasIamaware,nohumancraniumbelongingtoanadultmanhasyetbeenobservedwithalesscubicalcapacitythan62
cubicinches,thesmallestcraniumobservedinanyraceofmenbyMorton,measuring63cubicinches;while,ontheotherhand,themostcapaciousGorillaskullyetmeasuredhasacontentofnotmorethan34-1/2cubicinches。Letusassume,forsimplicity’ssake,thatthelowestMan’sskullhastwicethecapacityofthatofthehighestGorilla。*
[Footnote]*IthasbeenaffirmedthatHindoocraniasometimescontainaslittleas27ouncesofwater,whichwouldgiveacapacityofabout46cubicinches。TheminimumcapacitywhichIhaveassumedabove,however,isbaseduponthevaluabletablespublishedbyProfessorR。Wagnerinhis\"VorstudienzueinerwissenschaftlichenMorphologieundPhysiologiedesmenschlichenGehirns。\"Astheresultofthecarefulweighingofmorethan900humanbrains,ProfessorWagnerstatesthatone-halfweighedbetween1200and1400
grammes,andthatabouttwo-ninths,consistingforthemostpartofmalebrains,exceed1400grammes。Thelightestbrainofanadultmale,withsoundmentalfaculties,recordedbyWagner,weighed1020grammes。Asagrammeequals15。4grains,andacubicinchofwatercontains252。4