The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-18

Interesting ODstrthtiohos
Pref Uarte's miner, who, after his in
teryiew with the babe whose advent han
been 4 matter Of such interest TO the occu-
pauts Of Roaring Camp, held up his hnger
and remarked, He wrastled with II. -
now cited by the learned in science as
having expressed a significant biological
truth. The singular clnging power Of an
infants fingers must have been observed
bv any one who has been subjected 70 that
species Of violence. The babe can have no
use for any such strength, and this excess
of power is said by the eyolutlonists TO be
a quality which the race acquired when 1t
lived among the branches OF trees, and has
not yet lost.
DIR. Louis Robinson has published an
account Of some experiments which he had
made upon this subject. These expert
ments were made in the cases Of more than
sixty children, all Of whom were under a
month Old and at least half of whom had
been less than one hour in the world. with
two exceptions all of these babies were
able to hold onto finger or stick three
ouarters of an inch in diameter by theli
hands, hanging as if from horizontal bar,
and sustaining the whole weight Of their
bodies for at least ten seconds.
The same writer has contributed TO The
Nineteenth Century an article on the foot
of a baby, with the intention Of showing
that its characteristics are prehensile. lie
says that there are two classes of feet,
those which are used only for progression
and those which have more complex
functions. In the first class come all the
hoofed animals. The construction OF the
foot in this class is simple, as its functions
are simple. 1t has 10 sustain the weight OF
the animal, and is therefore very robust, a
characteristic for which man has found an
artificial substitute in the boot. Among
feet of the second kind would be those Of
cats. for instance, which have, besides the
power Of locomotion, clawswith which to
climb.
The apes, by reason Of the very complex ,
functions and construction of the foot
would have a special claim TO be put in
this class. Climbing with claws is simply
walking, with the added power TO drive
the claws into the bark. But the feet of
monkey in the branches Of tree running
away from a cat or a snake have much
more difficult and complicated offices to
perform The foot of a monkey must be
prepared to seize at almost any angle
branch Of tree with firm grasp or in an
instant TO clasp spray Of fine twigs and
cling 70 them.
Now. although the foot Of man is ut
nresent used only for locomotion, IL has
tho same complicated system Of muscles
that the hand has 1t has indeed the same
muscles, there being only one muscle IN
the hand, a small one with no attachment
10 the bone, for which there IS not a CORE
sponding muscle in the foot. But how Is
Il that these muscles, which are Tor the
most part useless, remain part OF tne
human anatomy? The answer Of the eyo-
lutionist is that any part OF the animal
economy which has become inbred remains
after il has ceased 10 DO useful, unless 1t
should be injurious and the human foot IS
said not TO be injurious.
But the feet Of very young infants have
a resemblance TO those OF monkeys which
adult feet do not have. In the first place,
the toes OF babies are more easily moved
than those of adults The great toe is
shorter than the second and third, and Is
separated fnom the other toes by wide in
teryal. A very young baby often holds
his foot very like tst, the four outer toes
beino bent downward and showing a dis
tinct knuckle on the other upper side, and
the great toe being bent and turned in
ward across the sole. When the foot IS in
this position the great and little toes APP
proach under the others, and DR.. Robinson
has seen one baby in whom they very near
" touched. Any slight irritation OF the
skin Of the sole Of the foot will cause the
infant TO close the toesias if to grasp the
object which has caused the irritation.
Moreover. a close examination Of the sole
Of an infants foot shows that it contains
lines Just like those Of the palm OF the
hand When the toes are bent downward
these become creases, showing the natural
folding places Of the integtment, when the
act Of grasping takes place DIR. Robinson
has examined these lines on the feet Of a
very large number OF infants, first taking
photographs Of the feet and later (Which
he found much better impressions Of the
infants feet on paper. Some Of these inn
pressions show very distinct lines which
the writer says correspond closely 20 the
lines which in palmistry are the Zine Of
/ the heart" the Zine Of head" and the
cline Of life"
/ These lines disappear almost as soon as
| the children begin 10 walk. They can
scarcely be seen at fourteen months, and
are only present in u few cases after the in
| FAINT has reached two years In adults no
trace is 10 be seen OF them when the foot is
at rest and only the faintest indications
when the toes are bent 70 the utmost.
There is no analogous case among the 9th.
er animals Of handlike lines existing on
the feet in infancy and disappearing later
But do the lines which DR.. Robinson has
found on the feet Of newborn infants exist
on the feet Of mOnkeysY The lines on a
baby's foot are handlike, and indicate a
prehensile utility, and monkeys feet arc
Of course prehensile, but are the lines
identicall The writer admits IN At he bas
met with some difficulty in pursuing his
researches regarding monkeys feet, monk
eys Directing strenuously. Moreover, the
lines differ greatly In the different FAM
lies Of monkeys But It was found thai
the higher the ape the more do its foot
lines resemble those of newbo rn infant
these investigations tending TO confirm The
FyOlutiOnists theory OF the origin and his
tory Of man-New York Times.
Electric Launches.
An English company has sixteen pleas
ure launches plying on the Thames, al
l n. n1a m ~