The record-union., 1896-06-21
WHY NEGROES ARE BLACK.
Interesting Discussion of the Effects
of Climate on Complexion.


Button. the elder, attributed the black
skin of the negro to the influence of eli
mate, heat causing the color. Orgeas
agreed with Button. He had observed
the feeble development of the piio-se-
baceous system among negroes, who
are less hairy than the whites Elk
mann developed vessels with human
skin taken from Malays and whites
and found that the radiation of hea.
passing thorugh a black skin was no.
more intense than that which passed
through white skin. In this, says the
writer, he agrees with Melloni, Desains,
Mason and others, whose researches
show that the color OF an object or of a
tissue has no influence on the obscure
heat rays. On his carefully separating
the fat from the skin, however. the
natural conditions were changed In
the second place the negro possesses a
more developed vascular sudoriparous
system than we do. He perspires more
freely, and loses heat as an alcaraza
does. There is evidently, says the
writer, a close relationship between the
influence of cutaneous fermentation
and the sudoriparous glands. and the
two should be studied together The
skin of the negro becomes black after
birth. LIE Cat noted, in 1865, that the
new born negro was of a reddish color.
the root of the nails and the scrotum
alone being black. Two or three days
after birth the skin began to turn black
Darwin also observed that the new
born Australian was of a brownish-y yell
ioI Obi
birth is white although its parents may
be perfectly black. The adult mans
skin varies according to the race to
which he belongs. Aside from heat,
which has been especially spoken of,
we must, says the writer, recognize
other causes of equally great import
ance. Light seems to favor pigmenta-
tion of the skin. In uniform heat the
light rays seem more active than the
dark ones. The sun tans, and women
use parasols and gloves to protect
themselves from it; darkness, on the
contrary, induces pallor. Aristocrats,
who do not expose themselves to the air,
have light, transparent skin.
The Japanese of distinction rarely
expose themselves to the air without
being yelled, and their skins are al
most as white as those of Europeans.
In Siam the high classes also have a
light, transparent skin. The drawings
of the ancient Egyptians, Of the Es-
truscans and of the Mexicans repre-
sent their women with light skins. A
very brilliant light browns the skin
even in cold countries. For instance
the Eskimos are brown. The luminous
intensity of the long days is such that
they are obliged to protect their eyes
with glasses. In India the difference
between the color of skins is more
marked than among us, and Pariahs
black as negroes may be seen side by
side with Brahmins white as Europeans.
The following type is very generally
seen: Tall, straight and slender; with
long heads, a long face, and an aqui-
line nose. The Brahman is especially
distinguished from the Pariah by his
naughty bearing. The castles are very
numerous, says the writer, and among
them may be observed all the coffee
colored tints, the purity of which is not
absolute Among the Brahmans, oc-
casionally, of two children in the same
family one may be white and the other
black. The same is seen among the
Pariahs, although the white skin is
more frequently observed among the
former than among the latter. Ger
tain castles which are held in slight es-
timation, such as the Moukahs and the