Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/698

 RACE

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RACE

eyes is horizontal in the white race and inclines ob- liquely upwards in Mongols; in the latter case the lacrimal caruncle is generally not free, but is covered by a fold that inclines downward in a curve (the Mongolian fold). In the same way the edge of the Mongolian eyelid, which in other cases is free, gen- erally lies under a transverse fold. The forms of the ear and mouth are less used as racial characteristics. They display only individual variations, although a peculiarity of the negro race is the great protrusion and thickness of the lips.

Especialh' important for the differentiation of races are the colour of the eyes and skin, and the form and colour of the hair. The colour of these parts of the body is conditioned by a brownish pig- ment, on the amount and seat of which the shade of colour depends. Ej-es are called blue and blue-grey when only the black layers of the iris contain the pig- ment, which appears blue through the cloudy outer layers of tissue. If the other layers of the iris also contain pigment, the eye appears from light to dark brown. The pupils are like a dark circle, the blood- ves.sels of the retina appearing red only in albinos (persons with very little or no pigment). The other parts of the eye also contain more or less pigment. The pigment of the skin is found chiefly in the epi- dermis: in new-born children of coloured races (at times also in white infants), as the Mongolians and negro, pigment in the true skin or corium produces blue spots in the region of the loins, called the blue Mongolian spot. In hair the horny outer portion is the main seat of the pigment. Besides the amount of air in the hair is also of importance; hair con- taining a great amount of air (appearance of age) looks grey or white, this condition being usually ac- companied by a disappearance of the hair-pigment. Hair is divided as to colour into flaxen, light brown, black, red, and grey; it is lank, smooth, wa\y, or curl}-. Lank hair generally shows a round cross- section, and curly an oval one; there are other cross- sections (e. g. the reniform or elliptical). In the same individual the eyes, hair, and skin may be of different colours. Blue eyes, flaxen hair, and white skin constitute the blonde tj-pe; brown eyes, brown hair, and dark skin make the brunette t_\-p6. Between these two tj-pes are all possible variations and mixtures.

Although the human race must be regarded as a unit intellectually and physically, there have existed and still exist differences which permit a classification into various groups and races. Even the most an- cient remains of man, dating from the glacial period in Europe, show differences that justify the accepta- tion of at least two races. Remains of skeletons that certainly belong to the Quaternary age have been found in France, Germany, and Austria. The shape of the crania found at Spy, Krapina, La Chapclle aux Saintes, Le Moustier, etc., resembles that of the skull discovered at Xeandertal, the geological stratification of which is uncertain. These remains can be grouped together as the "Xeandertal race", which had a long, narrow, low skull with very retreating forehead, enormous brow ridges {torus »upraorhilalis), powerful masticating apparatus, up- per jaw without the fosstr canhxF, heavy under jaw with broad ascending branch, no chin, and chin part with an outward convex curve. Some of these characteristics are still to be found among the Eskimo and aboriginal Australians. The bones of the skeletons indicate a bulky, relatively low-sized frame. The gait was upright, but it would seem with knees somewhat bent. Variations existed e^-en in this era. The Krapina remains belong to crania somewhat broader than do the remains of the Nean- dertal race of Western Europe. The strata in which the remains of the skeletons were found must be re- garded as belonging to the Last warm intermediate period (or the last glacial period), and were found

with remains of the early Palteolithic period, the stage of civilization represented by the Saint-Acheul and Le Moustier remains. During the glacial period, particularly during the late Pateolithic period (as represented by the remains found at Aurignac, Solutre, and La Madeleine), human beings of a dif- ferent form existed. Their remains, as those found at Laugerie-Basse, Chancelade, Mentone, andCombe- Capelle, may be grouped together as the "Cro- Magnon Race". The peculiarities of the Xeandertal race are not to be found; the generally long dolicho- cephalic crania have a good vault, and are relatively high without great brow ridges; the apparatus for mastication is less powerful: the upper jaw contains plainly fossw caninfe; the under jaw is less massive, the chin being fine and projecting. In the structure of the cranium the Cro-Magnon race on the whole resembled the modern European. Local variations are recognizable. It is not impossible that both diluvial races lived at the same era, so tliat crossings appeared, as would seem the case from the skulls found at Galley Hill and at Briinn. The bones of the skeletons indicate a higher stature. Variations with a broader skull appeared in Europe very soon after this, if not along with the long-skulled Cro-Magnon race in the diluvian epoch, so that the present dif- ferent shapes of crania found in Europe seem to go back to the earliest era. Schliz ascertained two main forms of crania in the remains found in a layer of the Ofnet cave near Nordlingen (Ba\'aria) belonging to the transition period between the Quaternary and the present geological era: one was a low, short skull and the other a moderately higlr, long skull, both with a low, broad face. These .skulls recall, on one hand, the form of the skull of the homo alpinus, and, on the other, the structure of the skull of the later lake-dwellers and of the Mediterranean type.

\Miile in the course of the prehistoric epochs in Europe the variations in the form of the skull mul- tiplied, Schliz believes that the various prehistoric ages (Stone age. Bronze age. Iron age) show races with well-defined forms of the skull. At present time the European, of all the branches of mankind, has been the most thoroughly investigated anthropologi- cally. Notwithstanding the crossings which have oc- curred continuously for centuries, certain groups with definite somatological peculiarities are recognizable. Stature, the shape of the skull, and the colour of the complexion have been taken as the criteria of these groups. According to this classification there is in the interior of Europe, in Alpine territory, a brunette population of medium stature and with a broad head; towards the north the crania are narrower, the colour of the skin, hair, and eyes is lighter, the stature is higher; towards the south the stature decreases, the complexion is darker, but the skull in the south, as in the north, is narrower than in the case of the first-named class. Starting from the north to the south, Ripley names these three tj-pes: (1) Teutonic race: long head and face, very light hair, blue eyes, high stature, narrow and partly curved nose; (2) .\lpine race: round head, broad face, light chestnut brown hair, nut-brown eyes, robust mediimi stature, variable but generally broad, strong nose; (3) Medi- terranean race: long head, long face, hair dark- brown to black, dark eyes, medium to small stature, rather broad nose. Between these pure ti,i)es there are inmnnerable crossings.

It is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to include the various races of mankind in one system. All attempts made hitherto contain certain defects which are perhajis vuiaxoidable. Linnxus sought to establish the characteristic jihysical and intellectual peculiarities of the inhabitants of the four quarters of the globe then known. Later investigators have selected one or a few peculiarities of the body (e. g.