第2章

grains,thisisequivalentto62cubicinchesofwater;sothatasbrainisheavierthanwater,weareperfectlysafeagainsterringonthesideofdiminutionintakingthisasthesmallestcapacityofanyadultmalehumanbrain。Theonlyadultmalebrain,weighingaslittleas970grammes,isthatofanidiot;butthebrainofanadultwoman,againstthesoundnessofwhosefacultiesnothingappears,weighedaslittleas907grammes(55。3cubicinchesofwater);andReidgivesanadultfemalebrainofstillsmallercapacity。Theheaviestbrain(1872grammes,orabout115cubicinches)was,however,thatofawoman;nexttoitcomesthebrainofCuvier(1861grammes),thenByron(1807grammes),andthenaninsaneperson(1783grammes)。

Thelightestadultbrainrecorded(720grammes)wasthatofanidioticfemale。Thebrainsoffivechildren,fouryearsold,weighedbetween1275and992grammes。Sothatitmaybesafelysaid,thatanaverageEuropeanchildoffouryearsoldhasabraintwiceaslargeasthatofanadultGorilla。

Nodoubt,thisisaverystrikingdifference,butitlosesmuchofitsapparentsystematicvalue,whenviewedbythelightofcertainotherequallyindubitablefactsrespectingcranialcapacities。

Thefirstoftheseis,thatthedifferenceinthevolumeofthecranialcavityofdifferentracesofmankindisfargreater,absolutely,thanthatbetweenthelowestManandthehighestApe,while,relatively,itisaboutthesame。ForthelargesthumanskullmeasuredbyMortoncontained114cubicinches,thatistosay,hadverynearlydoublethecapacityofthesmallest;whileitsabsolutepreponderance,of52cubicinches——isfargreaterthanthatbywhichthelowestadultmalehumancraniumsurpassesthelargestoftheGorillas(62-34-1/2=27-1/2)。

Secondly,theadultcraniaofGorillaswhichhaveasyetbeenmeasureddifferamongthemselvesbynearlyone-third,themaximumcapacitybeing34。5cubicinches,theminimum24cubicinches;and,thirdly,aftermakingalldueallowancefordifferenceofsize,thecranialcapacitiesofsomeofthelowerApesfallnearlyasmuch,relatively,belowthoseofthehigherApesasthelatterfallbelowMan。

Thus,evenintheimportantmatterofcranialcapacity,MendiffermorewidelyfromoneanotherthantheydofromtheApes;whilethelowestApesdifferasmuch,inproportion,fromthehighest,asthelatterdoesfromMan。ThelastpropositionisstillbetterillustratedbythestudyofthemodificationswhichotherpartsofthecraniumundergointheSimianseries。

ItisthelargeproportionalsizeofthefacialbonesandthegreatprojectionofthejawswhichconfersupontheGorilla’sskullitssmallfacialangleandbrutalcharacter。

FIG。16。——SectionsoftheskullsofManandvariousApes,drawnsoastogivethecerebralcavitythesamelengthineachcase,therebydisplayingthevaryingproportionsofthefacialbones。Theline’b’

indicatestheplaneofthetentorium,whichseparatesthecerebrumfromthecerebellum;’d’,theaxisoftheoccipitaloutletoftheskull。Theextentofcerebralcavitybehind’c’,whichisaperpendicularerectedon’b’atthepointwherethetentoriumisattachedposteriorly,indicatesthedegreetowhichthecerebrumoverlapsthecerebellum——thespaceoccupiedbywhichisroughlyindicatedbythedarkshading。Incomparingthesediagrams,itmustberecollected,thatfiguresonsosmallascaleasthesesimplyexemplifythestatementsinthetext,theproofofwhichistobefoundintheobjectsthemselves。

Butifweconsidertheproportionalsizeofthefacialbonestotheskullproperonly,thelittle’Chrysothrix’(Fig。16)differsverywidelyfromtheGorilla,and,inthesameway,asMandoes;whiletheBaboons(’Cynocephalus’,Fig。16)exaggeratethegrossproportionsofthemuzzleofthegreatAnthropoid,sothatitsvisagelooksmildandhumanbycomparisonwiththeirs。ThedifferencebetweentheGorillaandtheBaboonisevengreaterthanitappearsatfirstsight;forthegreatfacialmassoftheformerislargelyduetoadownwarddevelopmentofthejaws;anessentiallyhumancharacter,superaddeduponthatalmostpurelyforward,essentiallybrutal,developmentofthesamepartswhichcharacterizestheBaboon,andyetmoreremarkablydistinguishestheLemur。

Similarly,theoccipitalforamenof’Mycetes’(Fig。16),andstillmoreoftheLemurs,issituatedcompletelyintheposteriorfaceoftheskull,orasmuchfurtherbackthanthatoftheGorilla,asthatoftheGorillaisfurtherbackthanthatofMan;while,asiftorenderpatentthefutilityoftheattempttobaseanybroadclassificatorydistinctiononsuchacharacter,thesamegroupofPlatyrhine,orAmericanmonkeys,towhichtheMycetesbelongs,containstheChrysothrix,whoseoccipitalforamenissituatedfarmoreforwardthaninanyotherape,andnearlyapproachesthepositionitholdsinMan。

Again,theOrang’sskullisasdevoidofexcessivelydevelopedsupraciliaryprominencesasaMan’s,thoughsomevarietiesexhibitgreatcrestselsewhere(Seepp。231,232);andinsomeoftheCebineapesandinthe’Chrysothrix’,thecraniumisassmoothandroundedasthatofManhimself。

Whatistrueoftheseleadingcharacteristicsoftheskull,holdsgood,asmaybeimagined,ofallminorfeatures;sothatforeveryconstantdifferencebetweentheGorilla’sskullandtheMan’s,asimilarconstantdifferenceofthesameorder(thatistosay,consistinginexcessordefectofthesamequality)maybefoundbetweentheGorilla’sskullandthatofsomeotherape。Sothat,fortheskull,nolessthanfortheskeletoningeneral,thepropositionholdsgood,thatthedifferencesbetweenManandtheGorillaareofsmallervaluethanthosebetweentheGorillaandsomeotherApes。

Inconnectionwiththeskull,Imayspeakoftheteeth——organswhichhaveapeculiarclassificatoryvalue,andwhoseresemblancesanddifferencesofnumber,form,andsuccession,takenasawhole,areusuallyregardedasmoretrustworthyindicatorsofaffinitythananyothers。

FIG。17。——Lateralviews,ofthesamelength,oftheupperjawsofvariousPrimates。’i’,incisors;’c’,canines’’pm’,premolars;’m’,molars。AlineisdrawnthroughthefirstmolarofMan,’Gorilla’,’Cynocephalus’,and’Cebus’,andthegrindingsurfaceofthesecondmolarisshownineach,itsanteriorandinternalanglebeingjustabovethe’m’of’m2’。

Manisprovidedwithtwosetsofteeth——milkteethandpermanentteeth。

Theformerconsistoffourincisors,orcuttingteeth;twocanines,oreyeteeth;andfourmolars,orgrinders,ineachjaw——makingtwentyinall。Thelatter(Fig。17)comprisefourincisors,twocanines,foursmallgrinders,calledpremolarsorfalsemolars,andsixlargegrinders,ortruemolars,ineachjaw——makingthirty-twoinall。Theinternalincisorsarelargerthantheexternalpair,intheupperjaw,smallerthantheexternalpair,inthelowerjaw。Thecrownsoftheuppermolarsexhibitfourcusps,orblunt-pointedelevations,andaridgecrossesthecrownobliquely,fromtheinner,anteriorcusptotheouter,posteriorcusp(Fig。17m2)。Theanteriorlowermolarshavefivecusps,threeexternalandtwointernal。Thepremolarshavetwocusps,oneinternalandoneexternal,ofwhichtheouteristhehigher。

InalltheserespectsthedentitionoftheGorillamaybedescribedinthesametermsasthatofMan;butinothermattersitexhibitsmanyandimportantdifferences(Fig。17)。

Thustheteethofmanconstitutearegularandevenseries——withoutanybreakandwithoutanymarkedprojectionofonetoothabovetheleveloftherest;apeculiaritywhich,asCuvierlongagoshowed,issharedbynoothermammalsaveone——asdifferentacreaturefrommanascanwellbeimagined——namely,thelongextinct’Anoplotherium’。TheteethoftheGorilla,onthecontrary,exhibitabreak,orinterval,termedthe’diastema’,inbothjaws:infrontoftheeye-tooth,orbetweenitandtheouterincisor,intheupperjaw;behindtheeyetooth,orbetweenitandthefrontfalsemolar,inthelowerjaw。Intothisbreakintheseries,ineachjaw,fitsthecanineoftheoppositejaw;thesizeoftheeye-toothintheGorillabeingsogreatthatitprojects,likeatusk,farbeyondthegeneralleveloftheotherteeth。TherootsofthefalsemolarteethoftheGorilla,again,aremorecomplexthaninMan,andtheproportionalsizeofthemolarsisdifferent。TheGorillahasthecrownofthehindmostgrinderofthelowerjawmorecomplex,andtheorderoferuptionofthepermanentteethisdifferent;thepermanentcaninesmakingtheirappearancebeforethesecondandthirdmolarsinMan,andafterthemintheGorilla。

Thus,whiletheteethoftheGorillacloselyresemblethoseofManinnumber,kind,andinthegeneralpatternoftheircrowns,theyexhibitmarkeddifferencesfromthoseofManinsecondaryrespects,suchasrelativesize,numberoffangs,andorderofappearance。

But,iftheteethoftheGorillabecomparedwiththoseofanApe,nofurtherremovedfromitthana’Cynocephalus’,orBaboon,itwillbefoundthatdifferencesandresemblancesofthesameorderareeasilyobservable;butthatmanyofthepointsinwhichtheGorillaresemblesManarethoseinwhichitdiffersfromtheBaboon;whilevariousrespectsinwhichitdiffersfromManareexaggeratedinthe’Cynocephalus’。ThenumberandthenatureoftheteethremainthesameintheBaboonasintheGorillaandinMan。ButthepatternoftheBaboon’suppermolarsisquitedifferentfromthatdescribedabove(Fig。17),thecaninesareproportionallylongerandmoreknife-like;

theanteriorpremolarinthelowerjawisspeciallymodified;theposteriormolarofthelowerjawisstilllargerandmorecomplexthanintheGorilla。

Passingfromtheold-worldApestothoseofthenewworld,wemeetwithachangeofmuchgreaterimportancethananyofthese。Insuchagenusas’Cebus’,forexample(Fig。17),itwillbefoundthatwhileinsomesecondarypoints,suchastheprojectionofthecaninesandthediastema,theresemblancetothegreatapeispreserved;inotherandmostimportantrespects,thedentitionisextremelydifferent。Insteadof20teethinthemilkset,thereare24:insteadof32teethinthepermanentset,thereare36,thefalsemolarsbeingincreasedfromeighttotwelve。Andinform,thecrownsofthemolarsareveryunlikethoseoftheGorilla,anddifferfarmorewidelyfromthehumanpattern。

TheMarmosets,ontheotherhand,exhibitthesamenumberofteethasManandtheGorilla;but,notwithstandingthis,theirdentitionisverydifferent,fortheyhavefourmorefalsemolars,liketheotherAmericanmonkeys——butastheyhavefourfewertruemolars,thetotalremainsthesame。AndpassingfromtheAmericanapestotheLemurs,thedentitionbecomesstillmorecompletelyandessentiallydifferentfromthatoftheGorilla。Theincisorsbegintovarybothinnumberandinform。Themolarsacquire,moreandmore,amany-pointed,insectivorouscharacter,andinoneGenus,theAye-Aye(’Cheiromys’),thecaninesdisappear,andtheteethcompletelysimulatethoseofaRodent(Fig。17)。

Henceitisobviousthat,greatlyasthedentitionofthehighestApediffersfromthatofMan,itdiffersfarmorewidelyfromthatofthelowerandlowestApes。

Whateverpartoftheanimalfabric——whateverseriesofmuscles,whatevervisceramightbeselectedforcomparison——theresultwouldbethesame——thelowerApesandtheGorillawoulddiffermorethantheGorillaandtheMan。Icannotattemptinthisplacetofollowoutallthesecomparisonsindetail,andindeeditisunnecessaryIshoulddoso。Butcertainreal,orsupposed,structuraldistinctionsbetweenmanandtheapesremain,uponwhichsomuchstresshasbeenlaid,thattheyrequirecarefulconsideration,inorderthatthetruevaluemaybeassignedtothosewhicharereal,andtheemptinessofthosewhicharefictitiousmaybeexposed。Irefertothecharactersofthehand,thefoot,andthebrain。

Manhasbeendefinedastheonlyanimalpossessedoftwohandsterminatinghisforelimbs,andoftwofeetendinghishindlimbs,whileithasbeensaidthatalltheapespossessfourhands;andhehasbeenaffirmedtodifferfundamentallyfromalltheapesinthecharactersofhisbrain,whichalone,ithasbeenstrangelyassertedandre-asserted,exhibitsthestructuresknowntoanatomistsastheposteriorlobe,theposteriorcornuofthelateralventricle,andthehippocampusminor。

Thattheformerpropositionshouldhavegainedgeneralacceptanceisnotsurprising——indeed,atfirstsight,appearancesaremuchinitsfavour:

but,asforthesecond,onecanonlyadmirethesurpassingcourageofitsenunciator,seeingthatitisaninnovationwhichisnotonlyopposedtogenerallyandjustlyaccepteddoctrines,butwhichisdirectlynegativedbythetestimonyofalloriginalinquirers,whohavespeciallyinvestigatedthematter:andthatitneitherhasbeen,norcanbe,supportedbyasingleanatomicalpreparation。Itwould,infact,beunworthyofseriousrefutation,exceptforthegeneralandnaturalbeliefthatdeliberateandreiteratedassertionsmusthavesomefoundation。

Beforewecandiscussthefirstpointwithadvantagewemustconsiderwithsomeattention,andcomparetogether,thestructureofthehumanhandandthatofthehumanfoot,sothatwemayhavedistinctandclearideasofwhatconstitutesahandandwhatafoot。

Theexternalformofthehumanhandisfamiliarenoughtoeveryone。Itconsistsofastoutwristfollowedbyabroadpalm,formedofflesh,andtendons,andskin,bindingtogetherfourbones,anddividingintofourlongandflexibledigits,orfingers,eachofwhichbearsonthebackofitslastjointabroadandflattenednail。Thelongestcleftbetweenanytwodigitsisratherlessthanhalfaslongasthehand。

Fromtheoutersideofthebaseofthepalmastoutdigitgoesoff,havingonlytwojointsinsteadofthree;soshort,thatitonlyreachestoalittlebeyondthemiddleofthefirstjointofthefingernextit;

andfurtherremarkablebyitsgreatmobility,inconsequenceofwhichitcanbedirectedoutwards,almostatarightangletotherest。Thisdigitiscalledthe’pollex,’orthumb;and,liketheothers,itbearsaflatnailuponthebackofitsterminaljoint。Inconsequenceoftheproportionsandmobilityofthethumb,itiswhatistermed\"opposable\";inotherwords,itsextremitycan,withthegreatestease,bebroughtintocontactwiththeextremitiesofanyofthefingers;apropertyuponwhichthepossibilityofourcarryingintoeffecttheconceptionsofthemindsolargelydepends。

Theexternalformofthefootdifferswidelyfromthatofthehand;andyet,whencloselycompared,thetwopresentsomesingularresemblances。Thustheanklecorrespondsinamannerwiththewrist;

thesolewiththepalm;thetoeswiththefingers;thegreattoewiththethumb。Butthetoes,ordigitsofthefoot,arefarshorterinproportionthanthedigitsofthehand,andarelessmoveable,thewantofmobilitybeingmoststrikinginthegreattoe——which,again,isverymuchlargerinproportiontotheothertoesthanthethumbtothefingers。Inconsideringthispoint,however,itmustnotbeforgottenthatthecivilizedgreattoe,confinedandcrampedfromchildhoodupwards,isseentoagreatdisadvantage,andthatinuncivilizedandbarefootedpeopleitretainsagreatamountofmobility,andevensomesortofopposability。TheChineseboatmenaresaidtobeabletopullanoar;theartisansofBengaltoweave,andtheCarajastostealfishhooks,byitshelp;though,afterall,itmustberecollectedthatthestructureofitsjointsandthearrangementofitsbones,necessarilyrenderitsprehensileactionfarlessperfectthanthatofthethumb。

Buttogainapreciseconceptionoftheresemblancesanddifferencesofthehandandfoot,andofthedistinctivecharactersofeach,wemustlookbelowtheskin,andcomparethebonyframeworkanditsmotorapparatusineach(Fig。18)。

FIG。18-TheskeletonoftheHandandFootofManreducedfromDr。

Carter’sdrawingsinGray’s’Anatomy。’Thehandisdrawntoalargerscalethanthefoot。Theline’aa’inthehandindicatestheboundarybetweenthecarpusandthemetacarpus;’bb’thatbetweenthelatterandtheproximalphalanges;’cc’markstheendsofthedistalphalanges。Theline\"a’a’\"inthefootindicatestheboundarybetweenthetarsusandmetatarsus;\"b’b’\"marksthatbetweenthemetatarsusandtheproximalphalanges;and\"c’c’\"boundstheendsofthedistalphalanges;’ca’,thecalcaneum;’as’,theastragalus;’sc’,thescaphoidboneinthetarsus。

Theskeletonofthehandexhibits,intheregionwhichwetermthewrist,andwhichistechnicallycalledthe’carpus’——tworowsofcloselyfittedpolygonalbones,fourineachrow,whicharetolerablyequalinsize。Thebonesofthefirstrowwiththebonesoftheforearm,formthewristjoint,andarearrangedsidebyside,noonegreatlyexceedingoroverlappingtherest。

Thefourbonesofthesecondrowofthecarpusbearthefourlongboneswhichsupportthepalmofthehand。Thefifthboneofthesamecharacterisarticulatedinamuchmorefreeandmoveablemannerthantheothers,withitscarpalbone,andformsthebaseofthethumb。

Thesearecalled’metacarpal’bones,andtheycarrythe’phalanges’,orbonesofthedigits,ofwhichtherearetwointhethumb,andthreeineachofthefingers。

Theskeletonofthefootisverylikethatofthehandinsomerespects。

Thustherearethreephalangesineachofthelessertoes,andonlytwointhegreattoe,whichanswerstothethumb。Thereisalongbone,termed’metatarsal’,answeringtothemetacarpal,foreachdigit;andthe’tarsus’,whichcorrespondswiththecarpus,presentsfourshortpolygonalbonesinarow,whichcorrespondverycloselywiththefourcarpalbonesofthesecondrowofthehand。Inotherrespectsthefootdiffersverywidelyfromthehand。Thusthegreattoeisthelongestdigitbutone;anditsmetatarsalisfarlessmoveablyarticulatedwiththetarsus,thanthemetacarpalofthethumbwiththecarpus。Butafarmoreimportantdistinctionliesinthefactthat,insteadoffourmoretarsalbonesthereareonlythree;and,thatthesethreearenotarrangedsidebyside,orinonerow。Oneofthem,the’oscalcis’orheelbone(’ca’),liesexternally,andsendsbackthelargeprojectingheel;another,the’astragalus’(’as’),restsonthisbyoneface,andbyanother,forms,withthebonesoftheleg,theanklejoint;whileathirdface,directedforwards,isseparatedfromthethreeinnertarsalbonesoftherownextthemetatarsusbyabonecalledthe’scaphoid’

(’sc’)。

Thusthereisafundamentaldifferenceinthestructureofthefootandthehand,observablewhenthecarpusandthetarsusarecontrasted;andtherearedifferencesofdegreenoticeablewhentheproportionsandthemobilityofthemetacarpalsandmetatarsals,withtheirrespectivedigits,arecomparedtogether。

Thesametwoclassesofdifferencesbecomeobviouswhenthemusclesofthehandarecomparedwiththoseofthefoot。

Threeprincipalsetsofmuscles,called\"flexors,\"bendthefingersandthumb,asinclenchingthefist,andthreesets——theextensors——extendthem,asinstraighteningthefingers。Thesemusclesareall\"longmuscles\";thatistosay,thefleshypartofeach,lyinginandbeingfixedtothebonesofthearm,is,attheotherend,continuedintotendons,orroundedcords,whichpassintothehand,andareultimatelyfixedtotheboneswhicharetobemoved。Thus,whenthefingersarebent,thefleshypartsoftheflexorsofthefingers,placedinthearm,contract,invirtueoftheirpeculiarendowmentasmuscles;andpullingthetendinouscords,connectedwiththeirends,causethemtopulldownthebonesofthefingerstowardsthepalm。

Notonlyaretheprincipalflexorsofthefingersandofthethumblongmuscles,buttheyremainquitedistinctfromoneanotherthroughtheirwholelength。

Inthefoot,therearealsothreeprincipalflexormusclesofthedigitsortoes,andthreeprincipalextensors;butoneextensorandoneflexorareshortmuscles;thatistosay,theirfleshypartsarenotsituatedintheleg(whichcorrespondswiththearm),butinthebackandinthesoleofthefoot——regionswhichcorrespondwiththebackandthepalmofthehand。

Again,thetendonsofthelongflexorofthetoes,andofthelongflexorofthegreattoe,whentheyreachthesoleofthefoot,donotremaindistinctfromoneanother,astheflexorsinthepalmofthehanddo,buttheybecomeunitedandcommingledinaverycuriousmanner——whiletheirunitedtendonsreceiveanaccessorymuscleconnectedwiththeheel-bone。

Butperhapsthemostabsolutelydistinctivecharacteraboutthemusclesofthefootistheexistenceofwhatistermedthe’peronaeuslongus’,alongmusclefixedtotheouterboneoftheleg,andsendingitstendontotheouterankle,behindandbelowwhichitpasses,andthencrossesthefootobliquelytobeattachedtothebaseofthegreattoe。

Nomuscleinthehandexactlycorrespondswiththis,whichiseminentlyafootmuscle。

Toresume——thefootofmanisdistinguishedfromhishandbythefollowingabsoluteanatomicaldifferences:——

1。Bythearrangementofthetarsalbones。

2。Byhavingashortflexorandashortextensormuscleofthedigits。

3。Bypossessingthemuscletermed’peronaeuslongus’。

Andifwedesiretoascertainwhethertheterminaldivisionofalimb,inotherPrimates,istobecalledafootorahand,itisbythepresenceorabsenceofthesecharactersthatwemustbeguided,andnotbythemereproportionsandgreaterorlessermobilityofthegreattoe,whichmayvaryindefinitelywithoutanyfundamentalalterationinthestructureofthefoot。

Keepingtheseconsiderationsinmind,letusnowturntothelimbsoftheGorilla。Theterminaldivisionoftheforelimbpresentsnodifficulty——boneforboneandmuscleformuscle,arefoundtobearrangedessentiallyasinman,orwithsuchminordifferencesasarefoundasvarietiesinman。TheGorilla’shandisclumsier,heavier,andhasathumbsomewhatshorterinproportionthanthatofman;butnoonehaseverdoubteditsbeingatruehand。

FIG19。——FootofMan,Gorilla,andOrang-Utanofthesameabsolutelength,toshowthedifferencesinproportionofeach。LettersasinFig。18。ReducedfromoriginaldrawingsbyMr。WaterhouseHawkins。

Atfirstsight,theterminationofthehindlimboftheGorillalooksveryhand-like,andasitisstillmoresoinmanyofthelowerapes,itisnotwonderfulthattheappellation\"Quadrumana,\"orfour-handedcreatures,adoptedfromtheolderanatomists*byBlumenbach,andunfortunatelyrenderedcurrentbyCuvier,shouldhavegainedsuchwideacceptanceasanamefortheSimiangroup。Butthemostcursoryanatomicalinvestigationatonceprovesthattheresemblanceoftheso-called\"hindhand\"toatruehand,isonlyskindeep,andthat,inallessentialrespects,thehindlimboftheGorillaisastrulyterminatedbyafootasthatofman。Thetarsalbones,inallimportantcircumstancesofnumber,disposition,andform,resemblethoseofman(Fig。19)。Themetatarsalsanddigits,ontheotherhand,areproportionallylongerandmoreslender,whilethegreattoeisnotonlyproportionallyshorterandweaker,butitsmetatarsalboneisunitedbyamoremoveablejointwiththetarsus。Atthesametime,thefootissetmoreobliquelyuponthelegthaninman。

{Footnote}*Inspeakingofthefootofhis\"Pygmie,\"Tysonremarks,p。

13:——\"Butthispartintheformationandinitsfunctiontoo,beinglikeraHandthanaFoot:forthedistinguishingthissortofanimalsfromothers,IhavethoughtwhetheritmightnotbereckonedandcalledratherQuadru-manusthanQuadrupes,’i。e。’afour-handedratherthanafour-footedanimal。\"

Asthispassagewaspublishedin1699,M。I。G。St。Hilaireisclearlyinerrorinascribingtheinventionoftheterm\"quadrumanous\"toBuffon,though\"himanous\"maybelongtohim。Tysonuses\"Quadrumanus\"

inseveralplaces,asatp。91……\"Our’Pygmie’isnoMan,noryetthe’commonApe’,butasortof’Animal’betweenboth;andthougha’Biped’,yetofthe’Quadrumanus’-kind:thoughsome’Men’toohavebeenobservedtousetheir’Feet’like’Hands’,asIhaveseenseveral。\"

Astothemuscles,thereisashortflexor,ashortextensor,anda’peronaeuslongus’,whilethetendonsofthelongflexorsofthegreattoeandoftheothertoesareunitedtogetherandwithanaccessoryfleshybundle。

ThehindlimboftheGorilla,therefore,endsinatruefoot,withaverymoveablegreattoe。Itisaprehensilefoot,indeed,butisinnosenseahand:itisafootwhichdiffersfromthatofmannotinanyfundamentalcharacter,butinmereproportions,inthedegreeofmobility,andinthesecondaryarrangementofitsparts。

Itmustnotbesupposed,however,becauseIspeakofthesedifferencesasnotfundamental,thatIwishtounderratetheirvalue。Theyareimportantenoughintheirway,thestructureofthefootbeinginstrictcorrelationwiththatoftherestoftheorganismineachcase。

NorcanitbedoubtedthatthegreaterdivisionofphysiologicallabourinMan,sothatthefunctionofsupportisthrownwhollyonthelegandfoot,isanadvanceinorganizationofverygreatmomenttohim;but,afterall,regardedanatomically,theresemblancesbetweenthefootofManandthefootoftheGorillaarefarmorestrikingandimportantthanthedifferences。

Ihavedweltuponthispointatlength,becauseitisoneregardingwhichmuchdelusionprevails;butImighthavepasseditoverwithoutdetrimenttomyargument,whichonlyrequiresmetoshowthat,bethedifferencesbetweenthehandandfootofManandthoseoftheGorillawhattheymay——thedifferencesbetweenthoseoftheGorilla,andthoseofthelowerApesaremuchgreater。

ItisnotnecessarytodescendlowerinthescalethantheOrangforconclusiveevidenceonthishead。

ThethumboftheOrangdiffersmorefromthatoftheGorillathanthethumboftheGorilladiffersfromthatofMan,notonlybyitsshortness,butbytheabsenceofanyspeciallongflexormuscle。ThecarpusoftheOrang,likethatofmostlowerapes,containsninebones,whileintheGorilla,asinManandtheChimpanzee,thereareonlyeight。

TheOrang’sfoot(Fig。19)isstillmoreaberrant;itsverylongtoesandshorttarsus,shortgreattoe,shortandraisedheel,greatobliquityofarticulationintheleg,andabsenceofalongflexortendontothegreattoe,separatingitfarmorewidelyfromthefootoftheGorillathanthelatterisseparatedfromthatofMan。

But,insomeofthelowerapes,thehandandfootdivergestillmorefromthoseoftheGorilla,thantheydointheOrang。ThethumbceasestobeopposableintheAmericanmonkeys;isreducedtoamererudimentcoveredbytheskinintheSpiderMonkey;andisdirectedforwardsandarmedwithacurvedclawliketheotherdigits,intheMarmosets——sothat,inallthesecases,therecanbenodoubtbutthatthehandismoredifferentfromthatoftheGorillathantheGorilla’shandisfromMan’s。

Andastothefoot,thegreattoeoftheMarmosetisstillmoreinsignificantinproportionthanthatoftheOrang——whileintheLemursitisverylarge,andascompletelythumb-likeandopposableasintheGorilla——butintheseanimalsthesecondtoeisoftenirregularlymodified,andinsomespeciesthetwoprincipalbonesofthetarsus,the’astragalus’andthe’oscalcis’,aresoimmenselyelongatedastorenderthefoot,sofar,totallyunlikethatofanyothermammal。

Sowithregardtothemuscles。TheshortflexorofthetoesoftheGorilladiffersfromthatofManbythecircumstancethatoneslipofthemuscleisattached,nottotheheelbone,buttothetendonsofthelongflexors。ThelowerApesdepartfromtheGorillabyanexaggerationofthesamecharacter,two,three,ormore,slipsbecomingfixedtothelongflexortendons——orbyamultiplicationoftheslips。——Again,theGorilladiffersslightlyfromManinthemodeofinterlacingofthelongflexortendons:andthelowerapesdifferfromtheGorillainexhibitingyetother,sometimesverycomplex,arrangementsofthesameparts,andoccasionallyintheabsenceoftheaccessoryfleshybundle。

Throughoutallthesemodificationsitmustberecollectedthatthefootlosesnooneofitsessentialcharacters。EveryMonkeyandLemurexhibitsthecharacteristicarrangementoftarsalbones,possessesashortflexorandshortextensormuscle,anda’peronaeuslongus’。

Variedastheproportionsandappearanceoftheorganmaybe,theterminaldivisionofthehindlimbremains,inplanandprincipleofconstruction,afoot,andnever,inthoserespects,canbeconfoundedwithahand。

Hardlyanypartofthebodilyframe,then,couldbefoundbettercalculatedtoillustratethetruththatthestructuraldifferencesbetweenManandthehighestApeareoflessvaluethanthosebetweenthehighestandthelowerApes,thanthehandorthefoot,andyet,perhaps,thereisoneorganthestudyofwhichenforcesthesameconclusioninastillmorestrikingmanner——andthatistheBrain。

ButbeforeenteringupontheprecisequestionoftheamountofdifferencebetweentheApe’sbrainandthatofMan,itisnecessarythatweshouldclearlyunderstandwhatconstitutesagreat,andwhatasmalldifferenceincerebralstructure;andweshallbebestenabledtodothisbyabriefstudyofthechiefmodificationswhichthebrainexhibitsintheseriesofvertebrateanimals。

Thebrainofafishisverysmall,comparedwiththespinalcordintowhichitiscontinued,andwiththenerveswhichcomeofffromit:ofthesegmentsofwhichitiscomposed——theolfactorylobes,thecerebralhemisphere,andthesucceedingdivisions——noonepredominatessomuchovertherestastoobscureorcoverthem;andtheso-calledopticlobesare,frequently,thelargestmassesofall。InReptiles,themassofthebrain,relativelytothespinalcord,increasesandthecerebralhemispheresbegintopredominateovertheotherparts;whileinBirdsthispredominanceisstillmoremarked。ThebrainofthelowestMammals,suchastheduck-billedPlatypusandtheOpossumsandKangaroos,exhibitsastillmoredefiniteadvanceinthesamedirection。Thecerebralhemisphereshavenowsomuchincreasedinsizeas,moreorless,tohidetherepresentativesoftheopticlobes,whichremaincomparativelysmall,sothatthebrainofaMarsupialisextremelydifferentfromthatofaBird,Reptile,orFish。Astephigherinthescale,amongtheplacentalMammals,thestructureofthebrainacquiresavastmodification——notthatitappearsmuchalteredexternally,inaRatorinaRabbit,fromwhatitisinaMarsupial——northattheproportionsofitspartsaremuchchanged,butanapparentlynewstructureisfoundbetweenthecerebralhemispheres,connectingthemtogether,aswhatiscalledthe’greatcommissure’or’corpuscallosum。’Thesubjectrequirescarefulre-investigation,butifthecurrentlyreceivedstatementsarecorrect,theappearanceofthe’corpuscallosum’intheplacentalmammalsisthegreatestandmostsuddenmodificationexhibitedbythebraininthewholeseriesofvertebratedanimals——itisthegreatestleapanywheremadebyNatureinherbrainwork。Forthetwohalvesofthebrainbeingoncethusknittogether,theprogressofcerebralcomplexityistraceablethroughacompleteseriesofstepsfromthelowestRodent,orInsectivore,toMan;andthatcomplexityconsists,chiefly,inthedisproportionatedevelopmentofthecerebralhemispheresandofthecerebellum,butespeciallyoftheformer,inrespecttotheotherpartsofthebrain。

Inthelowerplacentalmammals,thecerebralhemispheresleavetheproperupperandposteriorfaceofthecerebellumcompletelyvisible,whenthebrainisviewedfromabove;but,inthehigherforms,thehinderpartofeachhemisphere,separatedonlybythetentorium(p。

281)fromtheanteriorfaceofthecerebellum,inclinesbackwardsanddownwards,andgrowsout,astheso-called\"posteriorlobe,\"soasatlengthtooverlapandhidethecerebellum。InallMammals,eachcerebralhemispherecontainsacavitywhichistermedthe’ventricle,’

andasthisventricleisprolonged,ontheonehand,forwards,andontheotherdownwards,intothesubstanceofthehemisphere,itissaidtohavetwohornsor’cornua,an’anteriorcornu,’anda’descendingcornu。’Whentheposteriorlobeiswelldeveloped,athirdprolongationoftheventricularcavityextendsintoit,andiscalledthe\"posteriorcornu。\"

InthelowerandsmallerformsofplacentalMammalsthesurfaceofthecerebralhemispheresiseithersmoothorevenlyrounded,orexhibitsaveryfewgrooves,whicharetechnicallytermed’sulci,’separatingridgesor’convolutions’ofthesubstanceofthebrain;andthesmallerspeciesofallorderstendtoasimilarsmoothnessofbrain。But,inthehigherorders,andespeciallythelargermembersoftheseorders,thegrooves,orsulci,becomeextremelynumerous,andtheintermediateconvolutionsproportionatelymorecomplicatedintheirmeanderings,until,intheElephant,thePorpoise,thehigherApes,andMan,thecerebralsurfaceappearsaperfectlabyrinthoftortuousfoldings。

Whereaposteriorlobeexistsandpresentsitscustomarycavity——theposteriorcornu——itcommonlyhappensthataparticularsulcusappearsupontheinnerandundersurfaceofthelobe,parallelwithandbeneaththefloorofthecornu——whichis,asitwere,archedovertheroofofthesulcus。Itisasifthegroovehadbeenformedbyindentingtheflooroftheposteriorhornfromwithoutwithabluntinstrument,sothatthefloorshouldriseasaconvexeminence。Nowthiseminenceiswhathasbeentermedthe’Hippocampusminor;’the’Hippocampusmajor’

beingalargereminenceinthefloorofthedescendingcornu。Whatmaybethefunctionalimportanceofeitherofthesestructuresweknownot。

Asiftodemonstrate,byastrikingexample,theimpossibilityoferectinganycerebralbarrierbetweenmanandtheapes,Naturehasprovidedus,inthelatteranimals,withanalmostcompleteseriesofgradationsfrombrainslittlehigherthanthatofaRodent,tobrainslittlelowerthanthatofMan。Anditisaremarkablecircumstancethatthough,sofarasourpresentknowledgeextends,there’is’onetruestructuralbreakintheseriesofformsofSimianbrains,thishiatusdoesnotliebetweenManandtheman-likeapes,butbetweenthelowerandthelowestSimians;or,inotherwords,betweentheoldandnewworldapesandmonkeys,andtheLemurs。EveryLemurwhichhasyetbeenexamined,infact,hasitscerebellumpartiallyvisiblefromabove,anditsposteriorlobe,withthecontainedposteriorcornuandhippocampusminor,moreorlessrudimentary。EveryMarmoset,Americanmonkey,old-worldmonkey,Baboon,orMan-likeape,onthecontrary,hasitscerebellumentirelyhidden,posteriorly,bythecerebrallobes,andpossessesalargeposteriorcornu,withawell-developedhippocampusminor。

FIG。20。——DrawingsoftheinternalcastsofaMan’sandofaChimpanzee’sskull,ofthesameabsolutelength,andplacedincorrespondingpositions。’A’。Cerebrum;’B’。Cerebellum。TheformerdrawingistakenfromacastintheMuseumoftheRoyalCollegeofSurgeons,thelatterfromthephotographofthecastofaChimpanzee’sskull,whichillustratesthepaperbyMr。Marshall’OntheBrainoftheChimpanzee’inthe’NaturalHistoryReview’forJuly,1861。ThesharperdefinitionoftheloweredgeofthecastofthecerebralchamberintheChimpanzeearisesfromthecircumstancethatthetentoriumremainedinthatskullandnotintheMan’s。ThecastmoreaccuratelyrepresentsthebraininChimpanzeethanintheMan;andthegreatbackwardprojectionoftheposteriorlobesofthecerebrumoftheformer,beyondthecerebellum,isconspicuous。

Inmanyofthesecreatures,suchastheSaimiri(’Chrysothrix’),thecerebrallobesoverlapandextendmuchfurtherbehindthecerebellum,inproportion,thantheydoinman(Fig。16)——anditisquitecertainthat,inall,thecerebellumiscompletelycoveredbehind,bywell-developedposteriorlobes。Thefactcanbeverifiedbyeveryonewhopossessestheskullofanyoldornewworldmonkey。For,inasmuchasthebraininallmammalscompletelyfillsthecranialcavity,itisobviousthatacastoftheinterioroftheskullwillreproducethegeneralformofthebrain,atanyratewithsuchminuteand,forthepresentpurpose,utterlyunimportantdifferencesasmayresultfromtheabsenceoftheenvelopingmembranesofthebraininthedryskull。Butifsuchacastbemadeinplaster,andcomparedwithasimilarcastoftheinteriorofahumanskull,itwillbeobviousthatthecastofthecerebralchamber,representingthecerebrumoftheape,ascompletelycoversoverandoverlapsthecastofthecerebellarchamber,representingthecerebellum,asitdoesintheman(Fig。20)。A

carelessobserver,forgettingthatasoftstructurelikethebrainlosesitspropershapethemomentitistakenoutoftheskull,mayindeedmistaketheuncoveredconditionofthecerebellumofanextractedanddistortedbrainforthenaturalrelationsoftheparts;buthiserrormustbecomepatenteventohimselfifhetrytoreplacethebrainwithinthecranialchamber。Tosupposethatthecerebellumofanapeisnaturallyuncoveredbehindisamiscomprehensioncomparableonlytothatofonewhoshouldimaginethataman’slungsalwaysoccupybutasmallportionofthethoraciccavity——becausetheydosowhenthechestisopened,andtheirelasticityisnolongerneutralizedbythepressureoftheair。

Andtheerroristhelessexcusable,asitmustbecomeapparenttoeveryonewhoexaminesasectionoftheskullofanyapeaboveaLemur,withouttakingthetroubletomakeacastofit。Forthereisaverymarkedgrooveineverysuchskull,asinthehumanskull——whichindicatesthelineofattachmentofwhatistermedthe’tentorium’——asortofparchment-likeshelf,orpartition,which,intherecentstate,isinterposedbetweenthecerebrumandcerebellum,andpreventstheformerfrompressinguponthelatter。(SeeFig。16。)

Thisgroove,therefore,indicatesthelineofseparationbetweenthatpartofthecranialcavitywhichcontainsthecerebrum,andthatwhichcontainsthecerebellum;andasthebrainexactlyfillsthecavityoftheskull,itisobviousthattherelationsofthesetwopartsofthecranialcavityatonceinformsusoftherelationsoftheircontents。

Nowinman,inalltheold-world,andinallthenew-worldSimiae,withoneexception,whenthefaceisdirectedforwards,thislineofattachmentofthetentorium,orimpressionforthelateralsinus,asitistechnicallycalled,isnearlyhorizontal,andthecerebralchamberinvariablyoverlapsorprojectsbehindthecerebellarchamber。IntheHowlerMonkeyor’Mycetes’(seeFig。16),thelinepassesobliquelyupwardsandbackwards,andthecerebraloverlapisalmostnil;whileintheLemurs,asinthelowermammals,thelineismuchmoreinclinedinthesamedirection,andthecerebellarchamberprojectsconsiderablybeyondthecerebral。

Whenthegravesterrorsrespectingpointssoeasilysettledasthisquestionrespectingtheposteriorlobescanbeauthoritativelypropounded,itisnowonderthatmattersofobservation,ofnoverycomplexcharacter,butstillrequiringacertainamountofcare,shouldhavefaredworse。Anyonewhocannotseetheposteriorlobeinanape’sbrainisnotlikelytogiveaveryvaluableopinionrespectingtheposteriorcornuorthehippocampusminor。Ifamancannotseeachurch,itispreposteroustotakehisopinionaboutitsaltar-pieceorpaintedwindow——sothatIdonotfeelboundtoenteruponanydiscussionofthesepoints,butcontentmyselfwithassuringthereaderthattheposteriorcornuandthehippocampusminor,havenowbeenseen——usually,atleastaswelldevelopedasinman,andoftenbetter——notonlyintheChimpanzee,theOrang,andtheGibbon,butinallthegeneraoftheoldworldbaboonsandmonkeys,andinmostofthenewworldforms,includingtheMarmosets。*

[Footnote]*Seethenoteattheendofthisessayforasuccincthistoryofthecontroversytowhichallusionisheremade。

FIG。21。——DrawingsofthecerebralhemispheresofaManandofaChimpanzeeofthesamelength,inordertoshowtherelativeproportionsoftheparts:theformertakenfromaspecimen,whichMr。

Flower,ConservatoroftheMuseumoftheRoyalCollegeofSurgeons,wasgoodenoughtodissectforme;thelatter,fromthephotographofasimilarlydissectedChimpanzee’sbrain,giveninMr。Marshall’spaperabovereferredto。’a’,posteriorlobe;’b’,lateralventricle;’c’,posteriorcornu;’x’,thehippocampusminor。

Infact,alltheabundantandtrustworthyevidence(consistingoftheresultsofcarefulinvestigationsdirectedtothedeterminationoftheseveryquestions,byskilledanatomists)whichwenowpossess,leadstotheconvictionthat,sofarfromtheposteriorlobe,theposteriorcornu,andthehippocampusminor,beingstructurespeculiartoandcharacteristicofman,astheyhavebeenoverandoveragainassertedtobe,evenafterthepublicationoftheclearestdemonstrationofthereverse,itispreciselythesestructureswhicharethemostmarkedcerebralcharacterscommontomanwiththeapes。TheyareamongthemostdistinctlySimianpeculiaritieswhichthehumanorganismexhibits。

Astotheconvolutions,thebrainsoftheapesexhibiteverystageofprogress,fromthealmostsmoothbrainoftheMarmoset,totheOrangandtheChimpanzee,whichfallbutlittlebelowMan。Anditismostremarkablethat,assoonasalltheprincipalsulciappear,thepatternaccordingtowhichtheyarearrangedisidenticalwiththatofthecorrespondingsulciofman。Thesurfaceofthebrainofamonkeyexhibitsasortofskeletonmapofman’s,andintheman-likeapesthedetailsbecomemoreandmorefilledin,untilitisonlyinminorcharacters,suchasthegreaterexcavationoftheanteriorlobes,theconstantpresenceoffissuresusuallyabsentinman,andthedifferentdispositionandproportionsofsomeconvolutions,thattheChimpanzee’sortheOrang’sbraincanbestructurallydistinguishedfromMan’s。

Sofarascerebralstructuregoes,therefore,itisclearthatMandifferslessfromtheChimpanzeeortheOrang,thanthesedoevenfromtheMonkeys,andthatthedifferencebetweenthebrainsoftheChimpanzeeandofManisalmostinsignificant,whencomparedwiththatbetweentheChimpanzeebrainandthatofaLemur。

Itmustnotbeoverlooked,however,thatthereisaverystrikingdifferenceinabsolutemassandweightbetweenthelowesthumanbrainandthatofthehighestape——adifferencewhichisallthemoreremarkablewhenwerecollectthatafullgrownGorillaisprobablyprettynearlytwiceasheavyasaBosjesman,orasmanyanEuropeanwoman。Itmaybedoubtedwhetherahealthyhumanadultbraineverweighedlessthanthirty-oneortwoounces,orthattheheaviestGorillabrainhasexceededtwentyounces。