Contributions towards Determining the Weight of the Brain in Different Races of Man

XX. Contributions towards determining the Weight of the Brain in different Races of Man. By Joseph Barnard Davis, M.D., &c. Communicated by J. Marshall, Esq., F.R.S. Received November 30, 1867,—Read January 23, 1868. The Brain being the most essential and characteristic portion of the human organization, as connected with intelligence and mental manifestations, it would naturally be expected to have absorbed great attention. Still, comparatively little has been done to ascertain its relative magnitude in the different races of mankind. Opportunities for the examination of exotic brains are very rare; and it is only by gauging the capacities of trustworthy skulls of different races, and thence deducing the volume of the encephalon that extended and reliable data are to be obtained. That an accumulation of observations of this kind is required for any results deserving confidence, ensues from the manifest diversity of volume and weight which pervades all individual organs of the body. These skulls are but seldom met with in such variety and such number as to yield satisfactory data. Hence it seems to be very desirable to place on record the averages calculated for a considerable collection of human crania, embracing most of the chief divisions of mankind. It may be supposed that this method is inferior to that of ascertaining directly the weight of the brain. This, however, is itself subject to considerable fluctuations, dependent upon sex, age, the kind of disease with which the person has been affected, and the condition of the organ at the period of death*. These all influence the determination, and complicate the deduction of any average weight and volume of the brain when subjected to the manipulation of the observer. It has been asserted "that the actual weights of human brains can alone form just data for conclusions; and that it seems scarcely possible that any method of ascertaining the size of the brain from examination of the skull can be free from fallacy"†. Without undervaluing the views of so excellent an observer as Dr. Peacock, it may be said that, if this be allowed to be correct in reference to any individual case, since the disease which terminates the life of a person itself alters the relation of the solid to the fluid contents of the cranium, it may yet with confidence be affirmed that the examination of a large series of skulls in ascertaining their * Chronic diseases tend to change the proportions between the weight of the brain and the fluids of the cranium. These fluids are abundant at an early period of life, diminish from birth to a mature age, from twenty to thirty years of age, after which they again increase. Dr. A. Weisbach, in his careful observations, found the fluids more abundant in the brains of men than in those of women. † Dr. Thomas B. Peacock, 'Tables of the Weights of the Brain and of some other Organs of the Human Body,' 1861, p. 22. Reprinted from the 'Monthly Journal of Medical Science,' vol. vii. 1847. capacities and deducing from those capacities the average volume of the brain, affords, in some respects, more available data for determining this relative volume for any particular race than the weighing of the brain itself. It might be less easy in this way to fix the exact weight of any individual encephalon, which might be much changed by some lingering and wasting disease (a large portion of Dr. Peacock's cases died of Phthisis); but, practically, this method is more sure to yield an accurate average size of the organ, because we have it in our power to use an unchangeable substance with which to gauge the capacity of the skull. And we thus arrive at conclusions the same in result as if we had the brain in all skulls at a uniform density, which, in fact, is the true basis of comparison. The method followed in the present researches has been to fill each skull, as uniformly as possible, with clean and dry Calais sand of a definite specific weight, 1425*. Then to pour out the sand, and weigh it carefully. The great difficulty which has always stood at the threshold of ascertaining the volume of the brain from the mere internal capacity of a skull, has arisen from the necessity for, and the variable mode of, making allowance for the other contents of the cranium besides the encephalon, and the uncertainty of the proper amount of such allowance in each special case. This difficulty being once overcome and a uniform rate of allowance being fixed upon a reliable basis, it will be almost as satisfactory in all investigations of this kind to obtain the weight of the brain by gauging the capacity of the skull as by weighing the encephalon itself. In order to get the proper allowance, or tare, to be deducted from the weight of sand which filled the cranium, as a compensation for the weight of the dura mater, the fluids of the membranes and ventricles, and also of the blood contained in the large vessels (after much inquiry and deliberation and consulting the best information to be got upon the absolute weight of the membranes and fluids of the human brain), it has been decided to allow a proportionate or percentage deduction as a tare upon the capacity of the skull and its contents; and this deduction has been fixed at 15 per centum. By this means the allowance will vary in exact proportion to the size of the brain itself, increasing as this increases. And when we come to compare the brain-weights acquired by different observers from actual metrological experiments with the results obtained by such a uniform deduction of 15 per cent. they will be found to agree upon the whole accurately†. The weight of the sand, after this deduction of 15 per cent., has then to be converted into its equivalent of cerebral matter of the specific gravity of 1040, which is the nearest average datum carefully determined by different competent observers‡. * The weight of a given bulk of dry Calais sand, moderately shaken down, is, to distilled water, as 1425 to 1000. † In the 'Crania Britannica,' p. 224, Note *, it was proposed to allow 5 ounces av. in the skulls of men, and 4½ oz. in those of women. This was the result of some observations made by Dr. Thurnam. ‡ In a subsequent part of this memoir a reference will be made to actual metrological experiments on individual brains, where the cranial capacity has likewise been determined, when it will be seen that the results It has already been stated that the 15 per centum tare is intended to cover the weight of the dura mater and pia mater, the arachnoid, the fluids of these membranes and of the ventricles, and also of the blood contained in the large vessels. This weight altogether is considerable. Professor Marshall has made the following explanatory remarks. "If the brain, in its natural state, filled the cranial cavity as completely as water will afterwards, it would be easy, by taking the specific gravity of nervous substance as compared with water, to estimate the quantity of brain which once occupied any given skull; but the fact that this is not the case, especially in regard to the base of the brain, and the difficulty in determining the weight of the membranes, the amount of blood which the vessels may contain, and the quantity of cerebro-spinal fluid which fills the ventricles and all otherwise unoccupied spaces, render it impossible thus to arrive at so definite an estimate as in the other way," i.e. by weighing the encephalon*. The present may be regarded as the first attempt to deduce with accuracy the weight of the brain from the capacity of the skull, on any commensurate scale. Professor Tiedemann's and Professor Morton's crude observations are of small value in this respect, and the attempts of others have been very limited and uncertain. It is remarkable that neither of these two accomplished men made any allowance in their observations for the membranes and fluids. This might not be deemed necessary in the comparison of the relative size of the cranial cavity in different races, aimed at by the former, who, when he subjected the brain to the weighing process, divested it of the arachnoid and the pia mater. The latter observer might seem to have overlooked the need of any allowance; at all events, in his Memoir†, he tells us that by his process of gauging the cavity of the skull with leaden shot, "I thus obtain the absolute capacity of the cranium, or bulk of the brain, in cubic inches;" and he describes his great Table as "showing the size of the brain in cubic inches"—whereas, in fact, it merely gives the capacity of 623 crania in cubic inches. It is quite needless to endeavour to prove that an allowance for membranes and fluids is absolutely necessary. Attempts have been made by different observers to determine the proportion in weight by which the brains of men exceed those of women. This appears to be variable, and possibly the variation may be in relation to particular races; but to decide this question would require materials of a very exact nature. The proportion differs from about 5 per cent. in our Australians, to more than 10 per cent. in our Tasmanians. It may be said generally in our series to range from less than 10 per cent. to something more than $12\frac{1}{2}$ per cent., so that the proposal of Professor Welcker to regard it as 10 per cent. may for the present be as safe as any other. When Professor Tiedemann considered as the result of his investigation, that he was closely coincide. For reasons already given, it is apparent that no rule can be formed which shall agree with all individual cases. * John Marshall, F.R.S., "On the Brain of a Bushwoman," &c., Philosophical Transactions, 1864, p. 506. † Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, October 1849. justified in making the assertion, which he said could not be regarded as a hypothesis, that Nature, inasmuch as a certain size and mass of brain is a necessary condition for the exercise of the faculties of the mind, hath furnished the people of all human races herewith in an equal degree, he was compelled to have recourse to a series of secondary influences to account for the diverse intellectual state of mankind. It was the hypothetical error of his system that led him to insist on the physical unity of man; his intellectual inequality could not be denied*. On the other hand, Professor Huschke affirmed that a difference in the weight of the brain in different races cannot be mistaken, with which the stature may correspond. He adds, thus the German brain exceeds in the mean 1400 grammes, the French has been by many observers specified to be only 1300 grammes, and that of the small Hindoos and indigenes of Bombay amounts to only 1000 to 1100 grammes†. It will be easier to test the correctness of these and various other statements, after our Tables have been examined. The importance of the average stature and weight of the body, so variable in different races, in their relations to the size and weight of the brain, although these relations have not yet been properly investigated, has not been overlooked. The large Germans and the small Hindoos are obvious instances. Up to the present time, exact observations upon the stature and weight of the races of man are almost wholly wanting. The notes to the Tables will include some information upon these points, in the cases in which it can be obtained. The weight of the brain is much influenced by sex and by age. In the following Tables the sexes of the crania have been determined, as accurately as may be from their examination, where they have not been otherwise known. They are always distinguished in their relative numbers. This was omitted in Morton's Table, as may be mentioned with regret. The observations have been confined to the skulls of adults. Any more definite rule respecting age it was not easy to lay down. The brain-weights have been arranged in six Tables, corresponding very much with the races of the six great divisions of the globe. In all cases, the estimated weight of the heaviest brain of the series is given first, then that of the lightest, and last the average weight of the whole. By the insertion of the averages of each sex and of the whole series, as much is done as may be to correct the preponderance of those individual exceptional cases of large brains, *megaloccephali*, and small brains, *microcephali*, which occur in probably all races of man. In general it has not been thought necessary to exclude from our estimates either synostotic or artificially distorted skulls. The effects of synostosis are almost always much confined to limiting the development of the cranial cavity *in one direction*, whilst it has received a corresponding expansion in another compensatory direction; so that there is no material diminution in the mass of the cerebral matter contained in the skull. In the cranium of the Stettin Weaver, the most remarkable example of syno- * Professor Tiedemann's Memoir was read before the Royal Society in 1835, and appears in the Philosophical Transactions, vol. cxvii. The reference is here made to the German edition, Das Hirn des Negers mit dem des Europäers und Orang-Outangs verglichen, 1837, S. 47. † Schædel, Hirn und Seele des Menschen und der Thiere, 1854, S. 60. stotic deformation recorded, the internal capacity is not materially interfered with*. There are exceptional cases, as those in which most of the sutures are simultaneously ossified at a very early period of life, producing a limited growth of the brain in the whole mass, and constrained microcephalism†. Artificial distortion of the skull also acts in a similar manner; it arrests development in one direction, which is compensated for by increased growth in another. This mainly corresponds with the evidence of all the best observers, as Morton and Catlin, that individuals with the most frightfully compressed heads, speaking in ordinary terms, are in every respect equal in intellectual power to those whose heads have undergone no distortion. But this must not be allowed to affect the question, whether those with distorted crania, either from synostosis or by art, are not more prone to moral perversions, and more frequently the subjects of mental aberration than others‡. In the Notes to the following Tables it is intended to add and to collate observed weights of brains, where they have been ascertained, with the weights deduced, so as to compare, authenticate, and correct the computed results. As already said, the heaviest brain-weights are given first, the lightest next, and then the average, which is obtained by adding the special weights of all the examples of either sex together, and dividing by the number of individual specimens. The mean of the sexes is obtained by adding the average of the males and that of the females together, and dividing by two. The mean of the series is obtained by adding the particular weights of all the examples of both males and females together, and dividing by the number of specimens. This is a convenient mean, but must be taken subject to some variation, according to the relative proportion of the examples of the one sex to those of the other. In general, the males greatly exceed the females in number; in some cases, as in the French, the Vedahs, the Cingalese, and the Hindoos, the sexes are almost equal; in the Esquimaux of Greenland and in the Caribs, they are exactly so; and in the Irish and Guanches there is a preponderance in the number of the skulls of women§. * On Synostotic Crania among Aboriginal Races of Man. J. Barnard Davis, 1865. Plates 9, 10, and 11. Transactions of the Dutch Society of Sciences of Haarlem. † Ibid. p. 21. ‡ Ibid. p. 22. § There are many other important queries suggested by these Tables, such as the exact origin of the skulls themselves, what particular portions of the different countries they are derived from, their authenticity, and other questions which cannot be introduced here. They are all more or less fully illustrated in an octavo volume just issued, entitled ‘Thesaurus Craniorum. Catalogue of the Skulls of the Various Races of Man in the Collection of Joseph Barnard Davis, M.D.’ London 1867. ### Tables of the Computed Weights of the Brains contained in Skulls of People of different Races. (Expressed in Avoirdupois Ounces, and in Grammes.) #### Table I.—European Races. | Races | Number | Heaviest | Lightest | Average | Number | Heaviest | Lightest | Average | Mean of Sexes | Mean of Series | Mean internal capacity | |------------------------|--------|----------|----------|---------|--------|----------|----------|---------|---------------|-----------------|----------------------| | | | oz. av. | grms. | oz. av. | oz. av. | grms. | oz. av. | grms. | oz. av. | oz. av. | | | 1. Ancient Britons | 56 | 57·07 | 1617 | 40·94 | 1160 | 52·54 | 1489 | 10 | 45·32 | 1285 | 39·70 | | 2. Ancient Scottish | 3 | 48·16 | 1365 | 38·82 | 1100 | 43·30 | 1227 | 2 | 44·66 | 1266 | 42·18 | | 3. Ancient Romano-Britons | 44 | 63·49 | 1795 | 39·70 | 1125 | 47·80 | 1355 | 12 | 45·68 | 1295 | 31·67 | | 4. Anglo-Saxons | 39 | 54·59 | 1547 | 40·95 | 1160 | 47·07 | 1334 | 16 | 47·14 | 1336 | 36·63 | | 5. English | 21 | 57·43 | 1628 | 44·08 | 1249 | 50·28 | 1425 | 13 | 49·62 | 1406 | 37·22 | | 6. Irish | 12 | 62·03 | 1758 | 39·48 | 1119 | 49·62 | 1406 | 16 | 52·54 | 1489 | 38·46 | | 7. Merovingian Franks | 4 | 51·89 | 1471 | 48·75 | 1382 | 50·28 | 1425 | | | | | | 8. French | 9 | 52·10 | 1477 | 42·18 | 1195 | 47·21 | 1338 | 7 | 47·14 | 1336 | 38·46 | | 9. Spaniards and Portuguese | 7 | 50·35 | 1427 | 45·68 | 1295 | 48·31 | 1369 | | | | | | 10. Ancient Romans of Italy | 8 | 54·37 | 1541 | 41·96 | 1189 | 47·14 | 1336 | | | | | | 11. Italians | 13 | 52·10 | 1477 | 42·18 | 1195 | 48·24 | 1367 | 2 | 45·03 | 1276 | 40·06 | | 12. Lapps | 5 | 54·00 | 1530 | 45·68 | 1295 | 47·65 | 1350 | 2 | 44·59 | 1264 | 44·59 | | 13. Swedes | 9 | 51·59 | 1462 | 47·14 | 1336 | 49·11 | 1392 | 3 | 47·14 | 1336 | 42·18 | | 14. Frisians | 3 | 54·00 | 1530 | 45·39 | 1286 | 48·60 | 1377 | | | | | | 15. Dutch | 15 | 54·00 | 1530 | 39·70 | 1125 | 49·55 | 1404 | 7 | 43·42 | 1230 | 40·94 | | 16. Germans | 13 | 55·83 | 1582 | 47·14 | 1336 | 52·83 | 1499 | 2 | 41·60 | 1179 | 40·35 | | 17. Russniak | 1 | 52·76 | 1495 | | | | | | | | | | 18. Poles | 2 | 47·14 | 1336 | 47·14 | 1336 | 47·14 | 1336 | | | | | | 19. Czechs | 2 | 52·76 | 1495 | 41·60 | 1179 | 47·14 | 1336 | | | | | | 20. Magyar | 1 | 45·03 | 1276 | | | | | | | | | | 21. Slovak | 1 | 43·78 | 1241 | | | | | | | | | | 22. Finns | 7 | 50·86 | 1441 | 46·56 | 1319 | 48·31 | 1369 | | | | | | 23. Russians | 10 | 57·07 | 1617 | 44·66 | 1266 | 50·28 | 1425 | | | | | | 24. Turks | 3 | 50·28 | 1425 | 45·90 | 1301 | 47·58 | 1348 | | | | | | 25. Rumanyos | 6 | 52·23 | 1480 | 44·66 | 1266 | 45·97 | 1303 | | | | | | 26. Gipsies | 2 | 45·02 | 1276 | 42·84 | 1214 | 43·93 | 1245 | 2 | 44·44 | 1259 | 41·96 | Numbers and Averages .... 299 52·68 1493 43·61 1236 48·25 1367 94 46·02 1304 39·56 1121 42·49 1204 45·73 1296 47·12 1335 92·3 ### Table II.—Asiatic Races. | Race | Numbers and Averages | |-----------------------|----------------------| | 1. Veddas of Ceylon | 3 57-58 | | 2. Cinghatees | 6 52-76 | | 3. Afghans | 4 58-66 | | 4. Hindoos | 35 51-96 | | 5. Mussulmans | 14 52-76 | | 6. Khonds | 2 38-46 | | 7. Gond | 1 40-72 | | 8. Lepchas | 7 48-62 | | 9. Bodos | 4 59-28 | | 10. Bhottas | 4 55-28 | | 11. Mishmees | 3 50-98 | | 12. Singhpo | 2 45-87 | | 13. Nagas | 2 50-98 | | 14. Chinese | 25 50-98 | | 15. Burmese | 16 50-98 | | 16. Japanese | 18 47-65 | ### Table III.—African Races. | Race | Numbers and Averages | |-----------------------|----------------------| | 1. Berbers | 3 48-38 | | 2. Guanches | 12 54-94 | | 3. Negroes of Tribes unknown | 1 48-92 | | 4. Joloff | 1 48-92 | | 5. Foutalab | 1 48-92 | | 6. Mandingoes | 1 48-92 | | 7. Serraya | 1 48-92 | | 8. Fanfrees | 8 47-65 | | 9. Ashantes | 9 50-98 | | 10. Dahomains | 11. Ebes | | 12. Yorubans | 13. Akissas | | 14. Bakeles | 14. Bakeles | | 15. Osyekanis | 15. Osyekanis | | 16. M'Pongwe | 16. M'Pongwe | | 17. Assango | 17. Assango | | 18. Asira | 18. Asira | | 19. M'Pans | 19. M'Pans | | 20. Congos | 20. Congos | | 21. Manganja | 21. Manganja | | 22. Hottentots | 22. Hottentots | | 23. Kaffirs | 23. Kaffirs | | 24. Zulus | 24. Zulus | | 25. Bushmenas | 25. Bushmenas | MDCCCLXVIII. ### Table IV.—American Races. | Races | Number | Heaviest | Lightest | Average | Number | Heaviest | Lightest | Average | |------------------------|--------|----------|----------|---------|--------|----------|----------|---------| | | | oz. av. | grms. | oz. av. | grms. | oz. av. | grms. | oz. av. | | 1. Esquimaux of Greenland | 5 | 57-72 | 1636 | 47-14 | 1336 | 49-25 | 1396 | | | 2. Esquimaux, Eastern | 4 | 49-62 | 1406 | 42-85 | 1214 | 46-23 | 1310 | | | 3. Esquimaux, Western | 4 | 47-14 | 1336 | 44-15 | 1251 | 45-39 | 1286 | | | 4. Iroquois | 1 | 45-90 | 1301 | | | | | | | 5. Mississaga | | | | | | | | | | 6. Athabasca | | | | | | | | | | 7. Shushwaps | 1 | 50-53 | 1432 | | | | | | | 8. Chemesyans | 2 | 50-86 | 1441 | 41-60 | 1179 | 46-23 | 1310 | | | 9. Selipsh | 1 | 44-08 | 1249 | | | | | | | 10. Quatsimas | 1 | 51-52 | 1460 | | | | | | | 11. Songass | 1 | 44-65 | 1265 | | | | | | | 12. Bilboolas | 2 | 48-16 | 1365 | 47-14 | 1336 | 47-65 | 1350 | | | 13. Lenni Lenape | 1 | 47-80 | 1355 | | | | | | | 14. Illinois | 1 | 48-75 | 1382 | | | | | | | 15. Comanche | 1 | 43-42 | 1320 | | | | | | | 16. Caribs | 2 | 44-81 | 1270 | 42-18 | 1195 | 43-49 | 1322 | | | 17. Muizcas | 8 | 51-52 | 1460 | 39-70 | 1125 | 44-88 | 1272 | | | 18. Yunca | | | | | | | | | | 19. Quichuas | 3 | 45-02 | 1276 | 43-42 | 1230 | 44-15 | 1251 | | | 20. Chaucu | | | | | | | | | | 21. Aymaras | 5 | 50-86 | 1441 | 44-08 | 1249 | 47-22 | 1338 | | | 22. Colla | | | | | | | | | | 23. Characs | 2 | 44-66 | 1266 | 43-42 | 1230 | 44-08 | 1249 | | | 24. Araucanians | 5 | 58-96 | 1671 | 42-84 | 1214 | 49-33 | 1398 | | | 25. Paraguay Indian | 1 | 41-45 | 1175 | | | | | | | 26. Gran Chaco Indian | 1 | 51-52 | 1460 | | | | | | | 27. Arawack | | | | | | | | | | 28. Caribi | | | | | | | | | | 29. Tarumas | | | | | | | | | | 30. Macusi | 1 | 47-80 | 1355 | | | | | | | 31. Wapisiana | 1 | 41-30 | 1170 | | | | | | | 32. Orinoco Indian | 1 | 47-80 | 1355 | | | | | | **Numbers and Averages** | | 52 | 48-16 | 1360 | 43-50 | 1233 | 46-17 | 1308 | 31 | 45-44 | 1288 | 39-13 | 1109 | 41-89 | 1-87 | 44-92 | 1273 | 44-64 | 1265 | 87-5 | --- ### Table V.—Australian Races. | Races | Number | Heaviest | Lightest | Average | Number | Heaviest | Lightest | Average | |------------------------|--------|----------|----------|---------|--------|----------|----------|---------| | 1. Australians | 17 | 53-35 | 1512 | 36-71 | 1040 | 42-25 | 1197 | 7 | 44-08 | 1249 | 34-15 | 968 | 39-62 | 1123 | 40-93 | 1160 | 41-38 | 1173 | 81-1 | | 2. Tasmanians | 7 | 48-38 | 1371 | 37-22 | 1055 | 43-42 | 1230 | 4 | 41-89 | 1187 | 35-39 | 1003 | 38-82 | 1100 | 41-12 | 1165 | 42-25 | 1197 | 82-8 | **Numbers and Averages** | | 24 | 50-86 | 1441 | 36-96 | 1047 | 42-83 | 1214 | 11 | 42-98 | 1218 | 34-77 | 985 | 39-22 | 1111 | 41-02 | 1162 | 41-81 | 1185 | 81-9 | ### Table VI.—Oceanic Races. | Numbers and Averages | Summary of the Six Tables | |----------------------|---------------------------| | 1. Nicobarans | | | 2. Nias | | | 3. Sumatrans | | | 4. Malays | | | 5. Bankuans | | | 6. Javans | | | 7. Matuarans | | | 8. Balinese | | | 9. Bimanese | | | 10. Timorese | | | 11. Ambonese | | | 12. Tidorese | | | 13. Alfouros | | | 14. Celebans | | | 15. Dayaks | | | 16. Bisayans | | | 17. Negritos | | | 18. Ootean | | | 19. Papuans | | | 20. Salomon Islanders| | | 21. New Caledonians | | | 22. Loyalty Islanders| | | 23. New Hebrideans | | | 24. Feejeeans | | | 25. Maoris | | | 26. Einocon | | | 27. Bobobon | | | 28. Gambier Islanders| | | 29. Marquesan Islanders| | | 30. Kanakas | | --- **I. European Races** - 219 52-68 - 143 43-61 - 1236 48-25 - 1367 94 46-02 - 1204 39-56 - 1191 42-94 - 1296 47-12 - 1335 69-23 **II. Asiatic Races** - 124 50-27 - 1425 41-57 - 1178 46-00 - 1304 46-95 - 1302 37-48 - 1002 42-13 - 1094 43-94 - 1245 44-44 **III. African Races** - 53 47-37 - 1425 41-57 - 1178 46-00 - 1304 46-95 - 1302 37-48 - 1002 42-13 - 1094 43-94 - 1245 44-44 **IV. American Races** - 52 48-16 - 1365 48-30 - 1233 46-17 - 1308 31 45-44 - 1248 39-59 - 1109 41-89 - 1187 44-92 - 1273 44-04 **V. Australian Races** - 240 50-86 - 1411 38-96 - 1047 42-83 - 1214 11 44-29 - 1218 34-77 - 1119 39-22 - 1111 44-02 - 1162 41-02 **VI. Oceanic Races** - 210 49-25 - 1396 42-90 - 1216 46-54 - 1319 95 44-61 - 1162 41-02 - 1162 41-02 - 1162 41-02 - 1162 41-02 --- **Numbers and Averages** - 210 49-25 - 1396 42-90 - 1216 46-54 - 1319 95 44-61 - 1162 41-02 - 1162 41-02 - 1162 41-02 - 1162 41-02 NOTES TO TABLE I.—European Races. 1. Ancient Britons.—The average weight of the brain in 56 skulls of men is 52·54 oz., or 1489 grms.; that of 10 women 43·27 oz., or 1226 grms. The mean of the sexes is 47·90 oz., or 1357 grms.; the mean of the series gives a brain-weight of 45·83 oz., or 1299 grms. 2. Ancient Scottish.—The mean of these 5 skulls, 3 of men and 2 of women, is 43·42 oz., or 1230 grms. 3. Ancient Romano-Britons.—The mean weight of brain deduced from 56 crania, 44 of which are those of males and 12 of females, is 45·97 oz., or 1303 grms. 4. Anglo-Saxons.—The average brain-weight of about the same number of Anglo-Saxon crania, in which the males and females are nearly in the same proportion, is very nearly the same, viz. 45·46 oz., or 1288 grms. 5. English.—The average brain-weight of 21 English men is 50·28 oz., or 1425 grms.; that of 13 English women 43·13 oz., or 1222 grms. That of the entire series, of which three-fifths are those of men and two-fifths those of women, is 47·50 oz., or 1346 grms. It should here be observed that the great design kept in view in forming the collection of skulls from which our data are derived was to acquire exotic crania. Not a single English example has been sought for, and some of those which have accidentally fallen into our hands may be poor specimens; so that the average weight of the English brain may be a little higher than is here set down. Still, a comparison with actually tested weights of brains shows that there cannot be any material error. Dr. T. B. Peacock has made two series of metrological observations on the weight of the brain. The first was conducted at the Edinburgh Infirmary, and therefore refers to the brains of the Scotch. The second was conducted in London, and related to English brains. Dr. Thurnam has analyzed Dr. Peacock’s Tables, and gives as the result that he found the Scotch adult male brain to weigh on the average 50 oz. av., and that of the English 49 oz.* In the former series of observations by Dr. Peacock upon the Scotch brains, he states as his first conclusion that “The encephalon in the adult male weighs, on an average, 50 oz. 3·25 dr., or 3 lb. 2 oz. and 3\(\frac{3}{4}\) drachms avoirdupois, and exceeds in weight that of the female by 5 oz. 4·95 dr., the latter weighing on an average 44 oz. and 14·3 dr., or 2 lb. 12 oz. 14\(\frac{3}{4}\) dr.”† To express Dr. Peacock’s conclusion in our mode, it is as nearly as may be that the male brain weighs 50·34 oz., and the female 44·15 oz. Our results give 50·28 oz. and 43·13 oz. respectively for the English brain. Dr. Peacock’s Note deserves to be quoted. It is to the following effect:—“A comparison of these averages, with those deduced by Dr. Reid, will show that they correspond very closely, though the numbers on which the calculations are based are considerably extended. They do not differ, also, very greatly from the conclusions of Sir * “On the Weight of the Brain, and on the Circumstances affecting it, by John Thurnam,” Journal of Mental Science, vol. xii. p. 15. † Op. cit. p. 19. William Hamilton, Dr. Sims, and Dr. Clendinning. Sir W. Hamilton estimated the weight of the adult male encephalon at 3 lb. 8 oz. troy, and the female at 3 lb. 4 oz., which are nearly 48 oz. 5 dr. and 43 oz. 15 dr. avoirdupois. On calculating the weights of the brain in the two sexes separately, from the observations published by Dr. Sims, I find the male brain, in 54 persons between 20 and 60 years of age, to average 47 oz. 13 dr.; and the female brain, in 58 persons, 44 oz. and 10 dr. Dr. Clendinning states the male brain, in persons between 21 and 60 years of age, to average 45·85 oz., and the female 41·25 oz. These several averages, together with those deduced by Dr. Reid and myself, range between 45\(\frac{3}{4}\) oz. and 50\(\frac{1}{4}\) oz. for the male, and 41\(\frac{1}{4}\) oz. and nearly 45 oz. for the female*\. Dr. Robert Boyd states, as the result of his great and continued metrological labours upon the weight of the brain, that the average weight of the encephalon in insane males at adult age, varied from 48·17 oz. to 43·87 oz., and in insane females from 44·55 oz. to 40·55 oz.; and that in the sane at the same period of life, the average varied in the male from 48·2 oz. to 45·34 oz., and in the sane female from 43·7 oz. to 39·77 oz. To place this in another form, it may be said that the average weight of the brain in insane English men was found to be 46·02 oz., or 1304 grms.; and in insane English women 42·55 oz., or 1206 grms. In the sane English brains the average for the men was 46·77 oz., or 1325 grms.; and for the women 41·73 oz., or 1183 grms., or, taking both together, the mean would have been 44·25 oz., or 1262 grms.\(\dagger\). It will be seen that this result does not quite agree with the weight as deduced from the capacity of our English skulls, nor with Dr. Peacock’s observations with the scales. It is rather more than two ounces less than our mean, and three ounces less than Dr. Peacock’s. The conclusions given by Dr. Thurnam from the examination, by actual weighing, of the brains of 257 insane men and 213 insane women, who died in the Wiltshire County Asylum, agree very closely with those of Dr. Boyd. The average weight of the former was 46·2 oz., or 1309 grms.; that of the latter 41 oz., or 1162 grms., producing a mean of the men and women of 43·6 oz., or 1236 grms., a little less than the mean derived from Dr. Boyd’s results. 6. Irish.—The Irish brains of these 28 skulls have been slightly larger than those of the English. Still the mean of the series is less, viz. English, 47·50 oz., or 1346 grms.; Irish, 46·70 oz., or 1323 grms. 8. French.—Of these there are 16 examples, 9 of men and 7 of women, or nearly an equality of the sexes. The mean of the series is 45·17 oz., or 1280 grms. They are decidedly below the English. Dr. Parchappe weighed a few French brains, and the result, as stated by Dr. Thurnam†, * Op. cit. p. 19. † “Tables of the Weights of the Human Body and Internal Organs in the Sane and Insane of both sexes at various ages, arranged from 2614 post-mortem examinations. By Robert Boyd, M.D.,” Philosophical Transactions, 1861, p. 261. ‡ Loc. cit. p. 15. was an average brain-weight of 47·9 oz., or 1358 grms., i.e. two ounces more than our mean. The results derived from our 16 French skulls may be compared with those obtained by Professor Paul Broca from carefully gauging the internal capacities of a large series of French crania of both sexes*. These were 115, derived from a vault in the Cité at Paris, and considered to be of the XII.th century, which gave a mean capacity of 1425 cub. centims.; 117 derived from the Cemetery of the Innocents, having a mean capacity of 1409·031 cub. centims.; and 125 others from the Cemetery de l'Ouest, at Paris, skulls of the XIX.th century, which gave a slightly greater internal capacity, viz. 1461·53 cub. centims. By first of all subjecting these figures to our rule of the deduction of 15 per cent., and then reducing them to the weight of brain they represent, the following results are produced. The 115 French skulls of the XII.th century must have held brains averaging 44·37 oz., or 1257 grms.; those of the Innocents, 43·93 oz., or 1245 grms.; and those of the XIX.th century, 45·46 oz., or 1288 grms. This gives a mean of the whole 357 French crania, which are both those of men and women, the relative number of the two sexes not having been stated, of 44·58 oz., or 1263 grms., only 17 grms. below our reduced general average,—a result which shows a remarkable agreement between the two different series of observations. Besides which it seems to indicate that the rough allowance of 1300 grms. to the French brain, by Professor Huschke, is sufficiently liberal. 11. Italians.—15 skulls of Italians, 13 those of men and only 2 those of women, give averages agreeing closely with those deduced from the crania of the two sexes of English. Dr. Weisbach gauged the skulls of 27 Italian men of the Austrian dominions, and his observations, when reduced to our standard, give an average of 46·19 oz., or 1309 grms.†, again closely agreeing with our series, which afford 47·58 oz., or 1348 grms. 12. Lapps.—7 skulls of Lapps, of pure blood, exhibit weights of brain very nearly equal to those of our Italians, and the same as the Italian men of Dr. Weisbach‡. 13. Swedes.—12 skulls of Swedes, three-fourths of which are those of men, present a general mean closely agreeing with that of the English. 14, 15. Frisians, Dutch.—These skulls again agree in brain-weight with the English. 16. Germans.—Of these there are 13 males and 2 females, or a great predominance of the skulls of men, i.e. about six-sevenths. Hence it might be anticipated that our mean would be high. It is 50·28 oz., or 1425 grms. It is probable that our crania of the men are unusually large, and those of the 2 women seem to be unusually small. The mean of the series of German skulls exceeds our English mean. The late Professor Huschke weighed a number of brains of Germans, and these are * Bulletins de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, tome iii. p. 106 (1862). † Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Schädelformen österreichischen Völker, 1867, S. 76, I. Abtheilung. ‡ The Lapps are short people. Among 8 Lapp men the mean stature was found to be 5 ft. 0·3 in., among 3 Lapp women the mean was 4 ft. 8·7 in. Notwithstanding this low stature the brain-weight of the Lapps is seen to be considerable. the averages he obtained*. In the encephala of 40 adult men the mean weight was 1384 grms., of 22 adult women it was 1244 grms., and the mean of the two sexes, in these unequal numbers, was 1314 grms. In comparing these results of Professor Huschke with our Table, it is seen that our German skulls of men are much above, and those of our women below the average size. The mean of our entire series exceeds that of Huschke's series by 100 grammes. The late Professor Rudolph Wagner weighed the brains of 31 Germans, 18 of men and 13 of women. The results of these metric observations are that the mean weight of the 18 brains of men was 1392 grms., and of the 13 brains of women 1209 grms., which confirms the remarks already made with respect to our male skulls, and our females also. By combining the means of both sexes, and embracing the observations of Huschke, Wagner, and those of our Table, we obtain a mean of 1314 grms. as the mean weight of the brain in Germans. In a series of investigations by Professor Hermann Welcker, he filled 30 normal adult skulls of German men and 30 of women with husked wheat corns, and then poured the grains into a graduated glass measure, so as to obtain the internal capacity of each in cubic centimetres. By the deduction of 15 per cent., and the conversion of his means into their equivalents of brain, we obtain these results. The average weight of brain of the 30 men was 45·17 oz., or 1280 grms., that of the 30 women 40·50 oz., or 1148 grms., and the mean of the two sexes 42·83 oz., or 1214 grms.† It will thus be seen that the brains of Welcker's 60 skulls, both those of the men and those of the women, are smaller than the averages obtained from the three former sources. And the same will be made apparent if we refer to the observations of Dr. Weisbach, who, however, made them upon the German people of Austria, who cannot be regarded as a pure German race. The average of his 50 men is 47·36 oz., or 1342 grms. of brain, and that of 19 women 40·94 oz., or 1160 grms., the mean of the two sexes being 44·15 oz., or 1251 grms.‡ So that there is a considerable probability that the magnitude of the brain among Germans has been overestimated§. 17. Russniak. 18. Poles.—We here enter upon the decidedly brachycephalic races of eastern and south-eastern Europe. In this series of skulls to the end of the Table, with the exception of the Wallachian Gipsies, it must be expressly noted that we have the skulls of men only, therefore we get the weights of male brains solely, the great reason why the figures are so high. In this division we shall be able to avail ourselves of the elaborate researches of Dr. A. Weisbach on the skull-forms of Austrian people. The method he employed was that of filling each skull well with groats, and thus * Schaedel, Hirn und Seele des Menschen und der Thiere, Jena, 1854, S. 113. † Untersuchungen über Wachsthum und Bau des menschlichen Schädels, 1862, S. 35, 130. ‡ Op. cit. S. 34, 56. § Without supposing that brain-weight stands in direct relation to stature, authentic data concerning the latter deserve attention. Dr. A. Weisbach gives the results of his observations on the stature of the Germans. The measurement of 30 men afforded an average of 1680 millims., or 5 ft. 6·2 in.; of 11 women 1544 millims., or 5 ft. 0·9 in.—Reise der Novara. Anthropologischer Theil. Körpermessungen. Tabelle VII. 1867. obtaining the cubic contents in centimetres. There will be this advantage, that Dr. Weisbach's observations were made upon the crania of young men only, soldiers dying in the Military Hospitals of Vienna, with which he was connected. His results will be subjected to the usual deduction of 15 per cent., and converted into their equivalents of ounces of brain, and the corresponding grammes. Our two Poles give a mean brain-weight of 47·14 oz., or 1336 grms. Dr. Weisbach deduces a mean internal capacity from his 25 Polish skulls of 1517·42 cub. centims. By subjecting this volume to our process we obtain a weight of brain of 47·21 oz., or 1338 grms., which is almost identical with the result of our observations, being but 2 grms. more. The result of Weisbach's gauging of his 15 Russniak skulls, when reduced, is a brain-weight of 47·07 oz., or 1334 grms., showing that ours is an unusually capacious one. 19. Czechs.—Two skulls of men yield exactly the same mean brain-weight as the two Poles, viz. 47·14 oz., or 1336 grms. One of our Czech crania is unusually large. Dr. Weisbach's mean of 28 Bohemian skulls does not exceed 45·32 oz., or 1284 grms. 20. Magyar.—One man yielding a brain-weight of 45·03 oz., or 1276 grms. Dr. Weisbach's mean of 29 men's crania is 44·30 oz. of brain, or 1255 grms. 21. Slovak.—This male skull affords a brain-weight of only 43·78 oz., or 1241 grms. The mean deduced from Dr. Weisbach's 9 Slovak men is also somewhat low, viz. 45·76 oz., or 1297 grms.* 22. Finns. 23. Russians. 24. Turks.—These three classes yield considerable brain-weights, viz. 48·31 oz., or 1369 grms., 50·28 oz., or 1425 grms., and 47·58 oz., or 1348 grms. The Russians, which are the heaviest, are most probably represented by exceptionally large skulls. 25. Rumanyos, or Wallachians.—These people are not a branch of the Sclavic family. The 6 male crania yield a brain-weight of 45·97 oz., or 1303 grms. 26. Gipsies of Wallachia.—These consist of 2 skulls of men and 2 of women. They afford an average brain-weight of the men of 43·93 oz., or 1245 grms., and of the women of 43·20 oz., or 1224 grms. Thus exhibiting an unusual uniformity in the two sexes, and also a marked diminution of brain-weight when compared to that of the Rumanyos, among whom they live. The general average of brain-weights of the whole series of 393 skulls of European Races, in unequal numbers as to sexes, about 3 males to 1 female, is 47·12 oz., or 1335 grms., which must be regarded as a high average. Without attaching any more importance to it than it deserves, the order of the brain-weights of this series of European crania may here be stated, beginning with the highest and descending to the lowest. Russniak, one single example, a megalcephalic skull, Merovingian Franks, Germans, Russians, Frisians, Spaniards and Portuguese, Finns, Swedes, Italians and Turks, English, Dutch, Ancient Romans of Italy, Poles and Czechs, Irish, Lapps, Ancient Romano-Britons and Rumanyos, Ancient Britons, Anglo-Saxons, * Dr. Weisbach found the mean stature of 20 men of Slavic races to approach very closely to that of his German men, viz. 1678 millims. French, Magyar, Slovak, Ancient Scottish, and Gipsies; the Gipsies standing the lowest in the whole series of European peoples in brain-weight, and, so far, supporting their supposed Indian origin. **Table II.—Asiatic Races.** In entering upon the Asiatic Races, we shall perceive a striking diminution in the volume of the brain at the commencement of the series. 1. **Vedahs** of Ceylon.—The three skulls of men give an average of 45·51 oz., or 1290 grms., that of five women is only 39·33 oz., or 1115 grms., the former being kept up by a megalcephalic cranium with an unusual brain-weight of 57·58 oz., or 1632 grms. The general mean of the series is nevertheless only 41·23 oz., or 1168 grms. 2. **Cingalese.**—The 6 men have an average of 47·21 oz., or 1338 grms.; the 5 women of 42·98 oz., or 1218 grms.; the mean of the entire series being 45·32 oz., or 1284 grms. 3. **Afghans.**—It is almost the same with the Afghans as with the Vedahs, the average of the 4 men is 45·32 oz., or 1235 grms., notwithstanding one of the series is a megalcephalic skull giving a brain-weight of 58·96 oz., or 1671 grms. The diversity of magnitude in crania occurring in the same race is well exemplified in two of these male specimens, as given in the Table. The mean of the entire series of males and females is only 42·11 oz., or 1193 grms. 4. **Hindoos.**—The 35 male Hindoos give an average brain-weight of 44·22 oz., or 1253 grms.; the 31 women of 39·99 oz., or 1133 grms.; and the mean of the entire series is 42·11 oz., or 1193 grms., which is exactly the same as that of the Afghans. Both general means are so low that they are almost equalled by that of the small Vedahs of Ceylon. This extraordinary difference in the weight of the brains in the races of India from those of Europe seems to be deserving of the serious consideration of the advocates of the Indo-Germanic, or Aryan hypothesis. The mean brain-weight of Hindoos is one-tenth less than that of Germans and English. Dr. Morton in his Table introduces his "Indostanic Family," which is composed of 8 "Ayras" and 25 Bengalees, mixed of the two sexes, and when his means are reduced to our standard, according to our rules, they exhibit a general mean of 41·74 oz., or 1183 grms., which is a little less, about 10 grms., than our mean. The results we have thus obtained go far to justify, if they do not entirely justify, the depreciatory estimate of Professor Huschke, when he roughly stated the brain-weight of the Hindoos at from 1000 to 1100 grms. 5. **Mussulmans.**—A comparison of the averages of the brain-weights of these skulls with those of the Hindoos, shows a slight advantage in favour of the Mussulmans. 6. **Khonds.**—The 2 skulls of men of this race of the unquestioned aborigines, or Hill Tribes, of India, give a very small mean, only 37·87 oz., or 1073 grms., which is a difference of brain-weight amounting to nearly 6 ounces less than the mean of English women. 8. **Lepchas.**—As we ascend the Himalayan slope we meet with races having an increased weight of brain. The 13 Lepchas, which include almost an equal number of men and of women, give a mean of 44·08 oz., or 1249 grms. 9. Bodos. 10. Bhotias.—These two races agree in having an equally increased weight of the encephalon, the first of 45·97 oz., or 1303 grms., and the second of 45·90 oz., or 1301 grms. 11. Mishmees. 12. Singpho. 13. Nagas.—These three races of Assam, of whom we have male skulls only, agree in presenting a brain-weight in the medium of 47·80 oz., or 1355 grms. 14. Siamese.—The people of Siam are represented by 7 crania, 4 of men and 3 of women, and they come slightly below the races of Assam, the mean being 47·14 oz., or 1336 grms. 15. Chinese.—The Chinese are well represented by 33 skulls, 25 of men and 8 of women, or about three-fourths those of men. The mean of the series reaches to 47·00 oz., or 1332 grms*. 16. Burmese.—These 5 skulls of men prove that the races of Assam, Siam, China, and Burmah agree in the relative volume of brain, which is a mean on a par with the general mean of European races. 17. Japanese.—From the examples here given, which, however, are only one skull of each sex, it might be considered that the Japanese suffer a serious diminution of brain-weight from their neighbours the Chinese and others. The mean of the two is only 40·32 oz., or 1143 grms. Further observations will probably correct this conclusion. 18. Ainos.—The European-looking skulls of the Ainos of Yesso, present a brain-weight decidedly greater than the Japanese of this Collection. It will be seen that the general average of the 210 skulls of Asiatic Races is 44·44 oz., or 1259 grms. That of the European Races was 47·12 oz., or 1335 grms., which shows a difference of 76 grms. in favour of Europeans. **Table III.—African Races.** In proceeding to the African Races we commence with 1. Berbers, and 2. Guanches, the old inhabitants of the Island of Teneriffe. These were people with somewhat small brains; the mean of the series of 21 skulls, the great majority of which are those of women, is 43·49 oz., or 1233 grms.†. --- * The mean stature of 26 Chinese men was found by Dr. Weisbach to be 1630 millims., or 5 feet 4·2 inches, of 3 Chinese women 1475 millims., or 4 ft. 10 inches. † The Guanches, unlike the Negroes of the adjoining Continent, were a race of small stature. The mummy at Cambridge measures 4 feet 10 inches, that of the man in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England is of the same height, and that of another man in the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes is half an inch taller. The skeleton of the woman in this last collection I found to measure only 4 feet 4 inches. It was a singular misconception on the part of Baron Al. von Humboldt, who said the Guanches were famed for their tall stature, being the Patagonians of the Old World. 3. Negroes of Tribes unknown.—These continental Negroes slightly exceed the insular Guanches in brain-weight. There are 16 skulls, three-fourths of which are those of men, and the general mean brain-weight is 44·08 oz., or 1249 grms. The individual crania of different tribes, of which there are many, give different brain-weights, varying among the men from 46·92 oz., or 1330 grms., a Joloff and a Serryia, both Tribes of the Gambia, to 41·60 oz., or 1179 grms., a Fantee. There are but two of women, a Fantee 39·11 oz., or 1108 grms., and a Mandingoe only 34·15 oz., or 968 grms. These brain-weights deserve to be recorded, but are not sufficiently numerous to be of much value. 10. Dahomans.—These 12 crania, of which three-fourths are those of men, and the rest belonged to the Amazonian soldiers of the King of Dahomey, present a higher general mean at 46·34 oz., or 1313 grms. 14. Bakeles.—A warlike Tribe on the Equator, of whom there are seven specimens, a majority of which are those of women, present a general mean of the series equal to the Dahomans, viz. 46·41 oz., or 1315 grms. It may be convenient in this place to express the general means of the series of all these Negro Tribes, from 3. Negroes of Tribes unknown to 21. Manganja. The mean brain-weights of the 38 men is 45·88 oz., or 1300 grms. That of the 31 women is 41·06 oz., or 1164 grms. And the mean of both sexes is 43·47 oz., or 1232 grms. This is a surprisingly small weight of brain, when we call to mind the assertions of Professor Tiedemann upon this subject. The only Negro brain actually weighed by Professor Tiedemann appears to have been that of “Honoré,” who died at Liège, in 1834, whose brain was preserved in spirits of wine and sent to Tiedemann. He used Nuremberg apothecaries weight in his experiments, which he seems to have regarded as equal to our troy weight, but this is not the case*. From the fact of the great change undergone by Honoré’s brain by hardening in spirit, and the confusion of weights, it is not desirable to dwell upon this observation. The errors into which this distinguished physiologist was led by his sympathies for the Negro race, and which have been so often pointed out, render it advisable that we should refer to more reliable authorities. Dr. Peacock has weighed the brains of 5 Negroes and given a Table, into which he has introduced two observations of Professor John Reid. The average brain-weight of the men is 44·34 oz., or 1257 grms., that of the women 43·50 oz., or 1233 grms., and the mean of the sexes 43·92 oz., or 1245 grms.+ This result of actual weighing is exactly 13 grms. more than our mean of the sexes. The brain of a Negro weighed by Professor Paul Broca was found to be 925 grms.; but this is not to be regarded as a satisfactory * The Nuremberg apothecaries weight stands in relation to English apothecaries weight as 357854 to 373095. Balbi, “Abrégé de Géographie,” 1833, Tableau Comparatif des Monnaies, et des Poids et Mesures, pp. 1355 and 1295. † “On the Weight of the Brain of the Negro,” Memoirs of the Anthropological Society of London, vol. i. pp. 65 and 520. observation, since the brain had undergone much decomposition*. The brain of a Negro examined by Dr. Edmond Simon was found to weigh, with the membranes, 1226 grms.†. As a general conclusion, without analyzing the results of Tiedemann’s gaugings of Negro skulls, it may be unhesitatingly asserted that the brain-weight of Negroes is positively below that of Europeans. 23. Kafirs—The average brain-weight of Kafirs is considerable, and quite in contrast with that of the true Negroes. The average of 7 Kafir men is no less than 49·04 oz., or 1390 grms., and that of the series 48·16 oz., or 1365 grms. Tiedemann’s friends examined for him four skulls of Kafir men, and one that of a woman. The result of these observations, which, for brevity’s sake, shall be reduced to our standard, is for the whole 46·05 oz., or 1305 grms. Perhaps our examples may be of a somewhat unusual size. 25. Bushmans.—Finally, we have this singular race of people, inhabiting the self-same countries as the Kafirs and other Tribes, and so remarkably different from them all, especially in the development of the brain. These four skulls of Bushmans, one of a man and three of women, yield a mean brain-weight of only 39·70 oz., or 1125 grms., which is nearly a sixth less than the mean of Europeans, no doubt, a people of greater stature, and about in the same proportion less than their fellow aborigines the Kafirs. In the elaborate and valuable account of the Brain of a Bushwoman, by Professor John Marshall‡, there is a careful calculation of its weight in that specimen. The brain reached him in the cranium preserved in spirits of wine, which had also been injected into the carotid arteries. Professor Marshall endeavoured to determine by experiment the amount of loss of weight ensuing from this process of hardening in spirit. His conclusion was that it is “from one-third to one-fourth, i.e. as a mean seven-twenty-fourths of the original weight”§. Hence, he determines that in a recent state, when deprived of its membranes, the brain of this Bushwoman, who appears to have been rather aged, would have weighed 30·75 oz., or 875 grms. Our estimate of the weight of the smallest brain of the three Bushwomen is 37·22 oz., or 1055 grms. This is not in agreement with Professor Marshall’s calculated weight, still, it is fully supported by the statement of Messrs. Flower and Murié, as we shall see, and also by Professor Marshall’s gauging of the capacity of this Bushwoman’s skull. Besides weighing the brain and carefully restoring its original weight by his experiments to ascertain loss from hardening in spirit, Professor Marshall gauged the capacity of the skull itself by filling it with water. He thus found the internal capacity of this Bushwoman’s skull was equal to 60·64 cubic inches. Here we have both the cubic capacity of the cranium, and also the actual weight of the brain it contained determined metrologically, which might be regarded as a crucial test of the accuracy of the method we have been led to adopt. By our method followed in the Tables of this Memoir, of * Bulletins de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris, tome i. p. 54. † Ibid. tome iv. p. 350. ‡ Philosophical Transactions, 1864. § Loc. cit., p. 506. allowing a tare of 15 per cent. for membranes and fluids, it is found that a skull of 60·64 cubic inches capacity would contain a brain weighing 31·01 oz. Professor Marshall weighed this Bushwoman's brain, and determined its weight in the recent state to have been 30·75 oz., or only 26 oz., i.e. a quarter of an ounce less, which is a very close agreement, showing that in this case a deduction of 15½ per cent. might have been allowed, and that our rule is not excessive, and indeed affording an unexpected and critical proof of the general accuracy of the method*. That it is, upon the whole, the readiest and most reliable one for ordinary application in determining the true weight of the brain from the internal capacity of the skull, seems to be proved. The weight of the Bushwomen's brain dissected by Messrs. Flower and Murie was found to be 38 oz., or 1077 grms.† This is in close approximation to our deduction from the three Bushwoman's skulls, which yield an average of 39·48 oz., or 1119 grms.‡ The general mean of our African Races, as deduced from 113 skulls, 53 of men and 60 of women, a tolerable equal proportion, is 43·89 oz., or 1244 grms. This is 3·23 oz., or 91 grms. less than our European general mean. Table IV.—American Races. 1, 2, 3. Esquimaux.—We have here included the Esquimaux of the whole Arctic Circle, from Greenland westwards. They have a considerable general mean brain-weight, viz. 46·56 oz., or 1319 grms. 4 to 15. Iroquois to Comanche.—A series of mostly individual skulls amounting in the whole to 18, 12 of men and 6 of women, which affords a general mean of 46·23 oz., or 1310 grms. With these may be compared the 164 crania of the "Barbarous Tribes" of Morton's "American Family." When the mean cubic contents of these latter are reduced to our terms, with the observation of our rule, they produce a brain-weight of only 42·84 oz., or 1214 grms., which differs by something more than three ounces from our mean. 14. Caribs.—These four skulls, two of each sex, produce a general mean of 42·32 oz., or 1199 grms. Of South American Tribes. 15. Muizcas.—Twelve crania, 8 of men and 4 of women, produce a general mean of 44·92 oz., or 1273 grms. This is not far from the average brain-weight of the Tribes until we reach the 22. Araucanians.—These 6 skulls, 5 of which are those of men and one of the five a megalcephalus, produce a higher mean, viz. 48·02 oz., or 1361 grms. The general mean of the whole 83 skulls of American Races, of which 52 are those of * Perhaps in small brains the membranes will be proportionately heavier than in large ones. † The Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, May 1867, vol. i. p. 286. Account of the Dissection of a Bushwoman, by W. H. Flower, F.R.S., and James Murie, M.D. ‡ Her stature was 4 feet 7½ inches, or 4 inches less than the Hottentot Venus. men and 31 those of women, is 44·64 oz., or 1265 grms. This is 2·48 oz., or 70 grms., less than the general mean brain-weight among European Races. It is also so near the general mean of the Asiatic and African Races, as to lead to the conclusion that all three may be regarded in general as nearly equal in the weights of their brains. **Table V.—Australian Races.** We come next to the Australian Races, or the Tribes occupying the Great Australian Continent, and Van Diemen's Land. These are highly interesting people, impressed as they are so deeply with marked differences from the races of all the rest of the globe. These differences extend to their average brain-weights. 1. **Australians.**—These 24 crania of Australians, 17 those of men and 7 of women, afford a general mean brain-weight of 41·38 oz., or 1173 grms.* 2. **Tasmanians.**—Of these there are 11 examples, 7 those of men and 4 of women, and they yield a slightly higher brain-weight than the mean of the Australians. This might have been expected, as they are a distinct race, and also decidedly more robust in physical conformation than the gracile Australians. The investigation of the 35 skulls of Australian Races, 24 of which are those of men and 11 those of women, gives a general mean brain-weight of 41·81 oz., or 1185 grms. In this they stand apart from the people of all the other great divisions of the globe by possessing the smallest brain. They have a brain-weight which is one-ninth less than that of Europeans. **Table VII.—Oceanic Races.** The last great section into which for convenience we have divided human beings. It includes the aboriginal inhabitants of all the Islands of the North and of the South Pacific Oceans. It embraces very diverse peoples, differing materially in physical conformation and every human character. Some of these races are distinguished by considerable development of the brain, whilst others are as remarkable for deficiency of brain-weight. A few brief remarks upon these peculiarities must suffice. * Dr. Weisbach states the mean stature of two Australian men to have been 1617 millims., or 5 feet 3·7 inches, and that of two Australian women 1552 millims., or 5 feet 1·2 inch. The two Victorian Australians measured by Dr. Ludwig Becker were respectively 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 7½ inches. By adding to these the few reliable replies obtained by the Select Committee of the Legislative Council of Victoria, where the data were acquired by actual measurements, we obtain a mean stature of 15 Australia men of 5 feet 6 inches. (Report on the Aborigines, Victoria, 1858–59.) The only two women said to have been positively measured were respectively 4 feet 10½ inches and 4 feet 11 inches. These, together with Dr. Weisbach's examples, afford a mean of 4 feet 11·5 inches. The heights of three skeletons of male Australians are respectively 1514 millims., or 4 feet 11·7 inches, 1540 millims., or 5 feet 0·6 inch, and 1660 millims, or 5 feet 3·1 inches, in the mean 5 feet 1·9 inch. There is no reason to doubt that the stature of Australians in different regions of the continent varied, even that of different Tribes did not agree. These singular and interesting people afford convincing evidence that the weight of the brain is a special race-character. 1. Nicobarian*, 4. Malays.—Eight skulls, six of men and four of women, afford one of the highest means among the Oceanic Races, viz. 47·07 oz., or 1334 grms. of brain-weight. This might have been anticipated for such a bold and enterprising race who have pushed their migrations, chiefly for commercial purposes, over almost the whole Ocean. 5. Bankans. 7. Madurans†. 12. Tidorese.—These three races are represented by skulls of men only, and hence their mean brain-weights are considerable—53·36 oz., or 1512 grms., 50·79 oz., or 1439 grms., and 50·28 oz., or 1425 grms. 6. Javans‡.—The Collection which has afforded the materials for this Memoir is rich in crania from the Dutch dominions in the East Indian Archipelago. It should be observed that among these the skulls of men predominate. Hence the higher means which prevail among the races of these islands. Among the remaining Islands of the Pacific there are two markedly different brain-weights to be observed, of which examples may be noted here. 29. Marquesan Islanders. 30. Kanakas.—These peoples are represented by a tolerably fair number of each sex. The former in 16 skulls of men give a mean brain-weight of 47·80 oz., or 1355 grms., and among 11 skulls of women, a mean of 43·20 oz., or 1224 grms; the mean of the whole 16 being 46·56 oz., or 1319 grms. Of the Kanakas, or Sandwich Islanders, there are 67 crania of men, affording a mean brain-weight of 47·89 oz, or 1357 grms., and 54 of women, with a mean of 43·78 oz., or 1241 grms.; the mean of the entire series being 45·97 oz., or 1303 grms. If we suppose these to be representatives of the more highly endowed of the islanders of this vast Ocean, others might be selected to exhibit the less favoured races. Among these are—1. Nicobarian. 15. Dayaks. 17. Negritos. 18. Oolean. 20. Salomon Islanders. 23. New Hebrideans. In some of these, as the Nicobarian, the Negritos and the Oolean, male skulls alone produce a very low brain-weight, as 40·35 oz., or 1143 grms. for the first, 40·53 oz., or 1149 grms. for the next, and 42·13 oz., or 1194 grms., for the third. In others a great preponderance of the skulls of men raises the brain-weight to only a low mean; as the Dayaks, where there are three-fourths of the skulls those of males, the general mean is 44·08 oz., or 1249 grms. The Salomon Islanders offer the same proportion of the sexes, and the mean of the series is 44·15 oz., or 1251 grms. Among the New Hebrideans nine out of ten of the skulls are those of men, yet the mean brain-weight of the series only rises to 43·92 oz., or 1245 grms. * The mean stature of 51 Nicobar Islanders, men, was found by Dr. Weisbach to be 1668 millims., i.e. 5 feet 5·7 inches. The brain-weight of the individual in the Table was only 40·35 oz. † Dr. Weisbach found the stature of 4 Maduran men to be 1625 millims., or 5 feet 4·1 inches. This is an evidence that, although, as a general rule, the brain is found to be small in people of short races, yet it is not by any means uniformly so. In truth, this and other similar facts show that the size of the brain, like most other human peculiarities, is a race-character. ‡ Dr. A. Weisbach found the average stature of 9 Javan men to be 1679 millims., or 5 feet 6 inches, that of 8 Javan women 1461 millims., or 4 feet 9·6 inches. 25. Maoris*. In conclusion, a hope may be expressed that this investigation has shown that some confidence may be placed in the method which has been followed; and that there is reason to think this communication may prove a valid contribution to the important and interesting subject of the weight of the brain in the different Races of Man. Postscript. [Received July 31, 1868.] The value of this communication, so far as it turns upon the proposed tare employed in its calculations, has received an important illustration, which must be alluded to here. The great politeness of an eminent Austrian anatomist, Dr. A. Weisbach, of Vienna, has afforded the means of testing this validity in a more complete manner than could be expected to occur in this country. He has taken the encephala out of 115 skulls of males and females, and carefully weighed them; subsequently, when the cranium was prepared, he has gauged its capacity in each case. The data he has thus obtained, he has had the goodness to communicate. They afford the chief materials for the following Table. The capacity is given in cubic centimetres first, then the estimated weight of the brain as deduced from our method, next the actual weight of the brain, without membranes, fluids and medulla oblongata, as determined by Dr. Weisbach. In order to compensate for this deficiency of the medulla oblongata, an addition of 14 grms., or half an ounce av., is made to each mean, so as to show in the next column the real weight of the entire brain. By this addition it is believed that we shall compensate as nearly as may be necessary for the absence of the medulla oblongata, which constitutes a portion of the contents of the skull. Professors Quain and Sharpey, quoting from Dr. Reid, state that the pons Varolii and medulla oblongata conjointly weigh in men $15\frac{3}{4}$ drs. av., in women 1 oz. and a quarter of a dr.†. By Dr. Robert Boyd it is said, “the average weight of the pons Varolii and medulla varied in the males from 1·15 oz. to 1·02 oz., and from 1·05 to ·95 oz. in the females”‡. Considering these observations to prove that these two portions of the contents of the cranium, the pons Varolii, and the medulla oblongata, weigh on the average about an ounce, we may conveniently regard them as each weighing half an ounce. The last column of the Table shows the exact average amount of the deficiency, or of the excess, of our estimated weight of the brain, in relation to that obtained by Dr. Weisbach’s experiments. * The mean stature of 3 New Zealand men was found by Dr. Weisbach to be 1757 millims., or 5 feet 9·2 inches. † Elements of Anatomy, 5th ed., 1848, vol. ii. p. 672. ‡ Philosophical Transactions, 1861, p. 262. | Number of cases | Sexes | Ages | Capacity of skulls | Estimated weights of brains | Actual weights of brains, without membranes, fluids, and medulla oblongata | With the addition of 14 grms, for the medulla oblongata | Differences between estimated weights and actual weights. The former more than the latter +, less than the latter − | |----------------|-------|--------------|--------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 5 | ♂ | 10 to 19 years | 1436·62 | 1270·06 | 1209·85 | 1223·85 | 46·21+ | | 75 | ♂ | 20 to 29 years | 1535·52 | 1355·11 | 1327·43 | 1341·43 | 13·68+ | | 9 | ♂ | 30 to 59 years | 1556·96 | 1374·95 | 1316·12 | 1330·12 | 44·83+ | | 11 | ♂ | 60 to 90 years | 1550·43 | 1349·44 | 1227·21 | 1241·21 | 108·23+ | | 100 | ♂ | 10 to 90 years | 1533·11 | 1352·27 | 1310·06 | 1324·06 | 28·21+ | | 15 | ♀ | .................. | 1318·30 | 1165·16 | 1159·65 | 1173·65 | 8·49− | | 115 | ♂ and ♀ | .................. | 1505·09 | 1329·59 | 1290·44 | 1304·44 | 25·15+ | The results of these tests of our rule of a tare of 15 per cent., for so the experiments of Dr. Weisbach may be regarded, are that in each of the groups into which the ages are divided our estimated weight exceeds the true weight of the brain, except in the case of the brains of the 15 women. In these the estimated weight falls short of the actual weight by an average of 8·49 grms., or nearly ·30 of an ounce. The other groups stand thus, ascending from the lowest to the highest. In 75 men from 20 to 29 years of age, that is, in the vigour of life (and it is to this period of life that the great majority of the skulls of the preceding race-Tables belong), the estimate exceeds the true weight by only 13·68 grms., or about half an ounce. In the whole number of cases taken together, the excess of the estimate is 25·15 grms., or about ·90 of an ounce. In the entire group of males this excess is 28·21 grms., or as near as may be one ounce. In the 9 males from 30 to 59 years of age, when it seems that the brain begins to have an increment in its fluids, it rises to 44·83 grms., or a trifle more than an ounce and a half. Before this organ reaches its maturity, as in the group of males from 10 to 19 years of age, the excess of our estimate is almost the same, viz. 46·21 grms., or somewhat above an ounce and a half, which shows the large amount of serosity in the brain at this early period of life, when the organ is in a state of active growth. But it is in advanced life, when this serosity again abounds, that our estimate is most remote from the actual weight of the cerebral mass itself. Here the discrepancy amounts to 108·23 grms., or approaching to 4 ounces. It must be recollected that, although our general rule is of great value in estimating the true weight of the brain from the capacity of the skull, where we have a large number of specimens of different sexes and ages before us, and is perhaps as near as any general rule that can be laid down, it is not to be expected that any uniform rate of deduction can be devised which will be correct even in the majority of individual instances, where the causes of deviation are so varied and complex. The complete test to which our rule has been put by these 115 careful experiments on brains of very different ages, shows its value and general correctness in a more satisfactory manner than could have been anticipated. If further investigations should prove that Dr. Weisbach's observations may be taken to possess an average value, it will probably be desirable to increase our rate of tare to a slight extent. MDCCCLXVIII.