on the relations of man to the lower animals-第11部分

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　　　　Surely　it　is　a　little　singular；　that　the　'anatomist；'　who
　　　　finds　it　'difficult'　to　'determine　the　difference'　between
　　　　'Homo'　and　'Pithecus'；　should　yet　range　them　on　anatomical
　　　　grounds；　in　distinct　sub…classes！

We　are　indeed　told　by　those　who　assume　authority　in　these　matters；　that
the　two　sets　of　opinions　are　incompatible；　and　that　the　belief　in　the
unity　of　origin　of　man　and　brutes　involves　the　brutalization　and
degradation　of　the　former。　　But　is　this　really　so？　　Could　not　a
sensible　child　confute　by　obvious　arguments；　the　shallow　rhetoricians
who　would　force　this　conclusion　upon　us？　　Is　it；　indeed；　true；　that　the
Poet；　or　the　Philosopher；　or　the　Artist　whose　genius　is　the　glory　of
his　age；　is　degraded　from　his　high　estate　by　the　undoubted　historical
probability；　not　to　say　certainty；　that　he　is　the　direct　descendant　of
some　naked　and　bestial　savage；　whose　intelligence　was　just　sufficient
to　make　him　a　little　more　cunning　than　the　Fox；　and　by　so　much　more
dangerous　than　the　Tiger？　　Or　is　he　bound　to　howl　and　grovel　on　all
fours　because　of　the　wholly　unquestionable　fact；　that　he　was　once　an
egg；　which　no　ordinary　power　of　discrimination　could　distinguish　from
that　of　a　Dog？　　Or　is　the　philanthropist　or　the　saint　to　give　up　his
endeavours　to　lead　a　noble　life；　because　the　simplest　study　of　man's
nature　reveals；　at　its　foundations；　all　the　selfish　passions　and　fierce
appetites　of　the　merest　quadruped？　　Is　mother…love　vile　because　a　hen
shows　it；　or　fidelity　base　because　dogs　possess　it？

The　common　sense　of　the　mass　of　mankind　will　answer　these　questions
without　a　moment's　hesitation。　　Healthy　humanity；　finding　itself　hard
pressed　to　escape　from　real　sin　and　degradation；　will　leave　the
brooding　over　speculative　pollution　to　the　cynics　and　the　'righteous
overmuch'　who；　disagreeing　in　everything　else；　unite　in　blind
insensibility　to　the　nobleness　of　the　visible　world；　and　in　inability
to　appreciate　the　grandeur　of　the　place　Man　occupies　therein。

Nay　more；　thoughtful　men；　once　escaped　from　the　blinding　influences　of
traditional　prejudice；　will　find　in　the　lowly　stock　whence　Man　has
sprung；　the　best　evidence　of　the　splendour　of　his　capacities；　and　will
discern　in　his　long　progress　through　the　Past；　a　reasonable　ground　of
faith　in　his　attainment　of　a　nobler　Future。

They　will　remember　that　in　comparing　civilised　man　with　the　animal
world；　one　is　as　the　Alpine　traveller；　who　sees　the　mountains　soaring
into　the　sky　and　can　hardly　discern　where　the　deep　shadowed　crags　and
roseate　peaks　end；　and　where　the　clouds　of　heaven　begin。　　Surely　the
awe…struck　voyager　may　be　excused　if；　at　first；　he　refuses　to　believe
the　geologist；　who　tells　him　that　these　glorious　masses　are；　after　all；
the　hardened　mud　of　primeval　seas；　or　the　cooled　slag　of　subterranean
furnacesof　one　substance　with　the　dullest　clay；　but　raised　by　inward
forces　to　that　place　of　proud　and　seemingly　inaccessible　glory。

But　the　geologist　is　right；　and　due　reflection　on　his　teachings；　instead
of　diminishing　our　reverence　and　our　wonder；　adds　all　the　force　of
intellectual　sublimity　to　the　mere　aesthetic　intuition　of　the
uninstructed　beholder。

And　after　passion　and　prejudice　have　died　away；　the　same　result　will
attend　the　teachings　of　the　naturalist　respecting　that　great　Alps　and
Andes　of　the　living　worldMan。　　Our　reverence　for　the　nobility　of
manhood　will　not　be　lessened　by　the　knowledge　that　Man　is；　in　substance
and　in　structure；　one　with　the　brutes；　for；　he　alone　possesses　the
marvellous　endowment　of　intelligible　and　rational　speech；　whereby；　in
the　secular　period　of　his　existence；　he　has　slowly　accumulated　and
organized　the　experience　which　is　almost　wholly　lost　with　the　cessation
of　every　individual　life　in　other　animals；　so　that　now　he　stands　raised
upon　it　as　on　a　mountain　top；　far　above　the　level　of　his　humble
fellows；　and　transfigured　from　his　grosser　nature　by　reflecting；　here
and　there；　a　ray　from　the　infinite　source　of　truth。

'A　succinct　History　of　the　Controversy　respecting　the　Cerebral　Structure
of　Man　and　the　Apes'

UP　to　the　year　1857　all　anatomists　of　authority；　who　had　occupied
themselves　with　the　cerebral　structure　of　the　ApesCuvier；　Tiedemann；
Sandifort；　Vrolik；　Isidore　G。　St。　Hilaire；　Schroeder　van　der　Kolk；
Gratioletwere　agreed　that　the　brain　of　the　Apes　possesses　a　POSTERIOR
LOBE。

Tiedemann；　in　1825；　figured　and　acknowledged　in　the　text　of　his　'Icones'
the　existence　of　the　POSTERIOR　CORNU　of　the　lateral　ventricle　in　the
Apes；　not　only　under　the　title　of　'Scrobiculus　parvus　loco　cornu
posterioris'a　fact　which　has　been　paradedbut　as　'cornu　posterius'
（'Icones'；　p。　54）；　a　circumstance　which　has　been；　as　sedulously；　kept　in
the　background。

Cuvier　（'Lecons'；　T。　iii。　p。　103）　says；　〃the　anterior　or　lateral
ventricles　possess　a　digital　cavity　＇posterior　cornu＇　only　in　Man　and
the　Apes。。。its　presence　depends　on　that　of　the　posterior　lobes。〃

Schroeder　van　der　Kolk　and　Vrolik；　and　Gratiolet；　had　also　figured　and
described　the　posterior　cornu　in　various　Apes。　　As　to　the　HIPPOCAMPUS
MINOR　Tiedemann　had　erroneously　asserted　its　absence　in　the　Apes；　but
Schroeder　van　der　Kolk　and　Vrolik　had　pointed　out　the　existence　of　what
they　considered　a　rudimentary　one　in　the　Chimpanzee；　and　Gratiolet　had
expressly　affirmed　its　existence　in　these　animals。　　Such　was　the　state
of　our　information　on　these　subjects　in　the　year　1856。

In　the　year　1857；　however；　Professor　Owen；　either　in　ignorance　of　these
well…known　facts　or　else　unjustifiably　suppressing　them；　submitted　to
the　Linnaean　Society　a　paper　〃On　the　Characters；　Principles　of
Division；　and　Primary　Groups　of　the　Class　Mammalia；〃　which　was　printed
in　the　Society's　Journal；　and　contains　the　following　passage：〃In　Man；
the　brain　presents　an　ascensive　step　in　development；　higher　and　more
strongly　marked　than　that　by　which　the　preceding　sub…class　was
distinguished　from　the　one　below　it。　　Not　only　do　the　cerebral
hemispheres　overlap　and　the　olfactory　lobes　and　cerebellum；　but　they
extend　in　advance　of　the　one　and　further　back　than　the　other。　　The
posterior　development　is　so　marked；　that　anatomists　have　assigned　to
that　part　the　character　of　a　third　lobe；　'it　is　peculiar　to　the　genus
Homo；　and　equally　peculiar　is　the　posterior　horn　of　the　lateral
ventricle　and　the　'hippocampus　minor；'　which　characterise　the　hind　lobe
of　each　hemisphere'。〃'Journal　of　the　Proceedings　of　the　Linnaean
Society；　Vol。　ii。　p。　19。

As　the　essay　in　which　this　passage　stands　had　no　less　ambitious　an　aim
than　the　remodelling　of　the　classification　of　the　Mammalia；　its　author
might　be　supposed　to　have　written　under　a　sense　of　peculiar
responsibility；　and　to　have　tested；　with　especial　care；　the　statements
he　ventured　to　promulgate。　　And　even　if　this　be　expecting　too　much；
hastiness；　or　want　of　opportunity　for　due　deliberation；　cannot　now　be
pleaded　in　extenuation　of　any　shortcomings；　for　the　propositions　cited
were　repeated　two　years　afterwards　in　the　Reade　Lecture；　delivered
before　so　grave　a　body　as　the　University　of　Cambridge；　in　1859。

When　the　assertions；　which　I　have　italicised　in　the　above　extract；　first
came　under　my　notice；　I　was　not　a　little　astonished　at　so　flat　a
contradiction　of　the　doctrines　current　among　well…indormed　anatomists；
but；　not　unnaturally　imagining　that　the　deliberate　statements　of　a
responsible　person　must　have　some　foundation　in　fact；　I　deemed　it　my
duty　to　investigate　the　subject　anew　before　the　time　at　which　it　would
be　my　business　to　lecture　thereupon　came　round。　　The　result　of　my
inquiries　was　to　prove　that　Mr。　Owen's　three　assertions；　that　〃the
third　lobe；　the　posterior　horn　of　the　lateral　ventricle；　and　the
hippocampus　minor；〃　are　〃pecular　to　the　genus　'Homo'；〃　are　contrary　to
the　plainest　facts。　　I　communicated　this　conclusion　to　the　students　of
my　class；　and　then；　having　no　desire　to　embark　in　a　controversy　which
could　not　redound　to　the　honour　of　British　science；　whatever　its　issue；
I　turned　to　more　congenial　occupations。

The　time　speedily　arrived；　however；　when　a　persistence　in　this　reticence
would　have　involved　me　in　an　unworthy　paltering　with　truth。

At　the　meeting　of　the　British　Association　at　Oxford；　in　1860；　Professor
Owen　repeated　these　assertions　in　my　presence；　and；　of　course；　I
immediately　gave　them　a　direct　and　unqualified　contradiction；　pledging
myself　to　justify　that　unusual　procedure　elsewhere。　　I　redeemed　that
pledge　by　publishing；　in　the　January　number　of　the　'Natural　History
Review'　for　1861；　an　article　wherein　the　truth　of　the　three　following
propositions　was　fully　demonstrated　（l。　c。　p。　　71）：

〃1。　　That　the　third　lobe　is　neither　peculiar　to；　nor　characteristic　of；
man；　seeing　that　it　exists　in　all　the　higher　quadrumana。〃

〃2。　　That　the　posterior　cornu　of　the　lateral　ventricle　is　neither
peculiar　to；　nor　characteristic　of；　man；　inasmuch　as　it　also　exists　in
the　higher　quadrumana。〃

〃3。　　That　the　'hippocampus　minor'　is　neither　pecular　to；　nor
characteristic　of；　man；　as　it　is　found　in　certain　of　the　higher
quadrumana。〃

Furthermore；　this　paper　contains　the　following　paragraph　（p。　76）：　〃And
lastly；　Schroeder　van　der　Kolk　and　Vrolik　（op。　cit。　p。　271）；　though
they　particularly　note　that　'the　lateral　ventricle　is　distinguished
from　that　of　Man　by　the　very　defective　proportions　of　the　posterior
cornu；　wherein　only　a　stripe　is　visible　as　an　indication　of　the
hippocampus　minor；'　yet　the　Figure　4；　in　their　second　Plate；　shows　that
this　posterior　cornu　is　a　perfectly　distinct　and　unmistakeable
structure；　quite　as　large　as　it　often　is　in　Man。　　It　is　the　more
remarkable　that　Professor　Owen　should　have　overlooked　the　explicit
statement　and　figure　of　these　authors；　as　it　is　quite　obvious；　on
comparison　of　the　figures；　that　his　woodcut　of　the　brain　of　a　Chimpanzee
（l。　c。　p。　　19）　is　a　reduced　copy　of　the　second　figure　of　Messrs。
Schroeder　van　der　Kolk　and　Vrolik's　first　Plate。

〃As　M。　Gratiolet　（l。　c。　p。　18）；　however　is　careful　to　remark；
'unfortunately　the　brain　which　they　have　taken　as　a　model　was　greatly
altered　（profondement　affaisse）；　whence　the　general　form　of　the　brain
is　given　in　these　plates　in　a　manner　which　is　altogether　incorrect。'
Indeed