THE BRAINS OF THE UNIVERSE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8751, 13 October 1906, Page 4

THE BRAINS OF THE UNIVERSE.

THE SCOTCHMAN LEADS FOR

WEIGHT.

It is interesting to note, from the subjoined table, hoW the brain-weights of various nationalities differ, according to eminent authorities. It will be noticed that the Scotchman leads the van, * while the representatives of the Happy Vaderland just beat John Bull by a short head for second place, and the bland and child-like Esquimaux brings up the rear. It may be stated that the average weight of the human brain is given as 49£ ounces for males, and 44 ounces for females.

Oz. Oz. Scotch . . 50.0 Pawnees . . 47.1 German • . 49.6 Italians ' . . English^ . 49.5 Hindoos . . 45.1 French" . . 47.9 Gypsies . . 44.8 Zxxlu . . 47.5 Bushmen . 44.6 Chinese . . 47.2 Esquimaux . 43.9 Touching the cubic capacity .of the brain-case, the Anglo-Saxon and the German run a- dead lieat for first place, despite the apparently greater stowage- ■ room possessed by the average " squarehead." Here are some relative propor- , tions : — Arglo Saxon « • . . ICS cubic inches German . • . 105 cubic inches Negro .... 96 cubic inches Ancient Egyptian . . 93 cubic inches Hottentot .... 58 cubic inch&s Australian Aborigine ' . 5S cubic inches

It is at once apparent that a really marvellous disparity exists between the first, four and' the last two, each of which is rapidly approaching total extinction. Tne above figures, of course, apply merely to shell containing the brains, but even were their brain-oases constructed on a more generous scale, it is doubtful whether these aborigines, who have sunk low in the anthropological table, would be any better off as far as cerebral tissue is concerned. As regards the Hottentot, he is such an utterly depraved, vicious morsel of humanity that the sfconer he is non-ex-istent the better.

It must not, however, be inferred that excess of brain-substance implies excess of brain-power, or vice versa. Cromwell and Byron both possessed brains of abnormal weight, that of the Protector's being given as 92.290z, and the post's as 79.000z. These figures however, are not universally accepted by scientists: The brilliant Cuvier'B brain was also massive, weighing 6433qz, but yet we find an, ordinarybricklayer, of fair intelligence, but unable to read or write, possessed of a brain that tipped the beam at 67.00cz ! The brains of Spurzheim. (55.060z) and Daniel Webster (53.500z) and more notably Ab&rcrombie (63.00075) were all heavier than those of the ordinary individual; but, on the other hand, a congenital epileptic idiot, reported by Dr Tuke, could boast of a brain weighing 60.000z, while a celebrated mineralogist, a man over the medium 6tature, had only 43.240z of cerebral tissue to work on!

With these statistics in -view it will be seen how impossible it is io gauge from a man's capabilities the quantity of brain substance with which Nature has endowed him. Daily we hear men spoken of as "brainless idiots," or "brainy men" as the case may be whereas these individuals may possibly be in reality quite, tie reverse.

There appears to be a distinct relation between weightiness of brain substance and crime. The brains of French criminals hay© been subjected to postmortem examinations, and these yield an average of, 55 to 60oz for those of the worst type of malefactor, while one Ruloff , a very clever linguist and scientist, who was executed for"* murder thirty-five years .ago, was the owner of a brain that turned the scale at 59.000z or almost ten ounces over the average weisht, '".'." ' •