The Van Buren press., 1897-03-27
STUDYING GIANTS.
Nursery Tales Shattered by Sciences
ne cent Investigations,

He cent lnYesttgntiOns.
Dr Thorn as Wilson, curator OF the da
nartment OF prehistoric anthropolopv
Of the Smith sonian institution, has
about complet ed very interesting in.
vestigation of the causes that produce
giants. and is v riting a paper on tbs
subject of giants, ancient and modern
This study was br ought about by con.
tinual inquiries of people in different
parts of the country regard to giants
There is very little pr, else scientific in.
formation ON the subje, u and not until
within the last few yea rs has it been
looked into at all by eta lnologists Or
psychologists. Prof. Wilst VI says that
the giants of nursery tales eA cite the ad.
miration and the fear of the infantile
reputation, for they are desc rlbed as
strong. bold, cruel and yoraciouA Asa
matter of fact, giants generally are
weak physically, good-natured per son,
ally, and not overintelligent. They .Ns
often inactive and feeble, but raray
evil-minded.
There has for long time existed in
many quarters the belief, fostered chief
" bv the tales of Sir Walter Scott and
| other writer's about the times of the
| Crusaders, that the men of the Tenth
| and Eleventh centuries were gigantic
in stature, and must haze been SO to
| carry their heavy armor and accoutre.
| ments. This idea also has been held in
regard to prehistoric man, chiefly on ac.
count of early myths. Nevertheless,
the notion that prehistoric man was
teller and larger than modern man has
now been entirely exploded The
bronze swords of prehistoric times have
handles smaller than those of to-day;
in fact, the grip is too small for the
hand of our average man.
The Bible uses The word giant" many
times, but Prof. Wilson says that upon
an investigation of the use of the word
1t Is found that it has been used am
biguously. The Greek word which has
come to signify giant meant originally
the races of men who were on earth
born, in distinction OF those born Of
God, who had the divine nature. This
statement of the modern scientists dis
agrees with previous investigations Of
the subject. Thus, in IT'S Henriot a
member of the French academy, pub
lished a work on the great decrease in
stature end physical conformation Of
the human race between the creation
and the Christian era. According to his
calculations at that time various per
sonages of the Bible were of the follow
ing heights: Adam, 1913 feet inches
Eve, lis feet inches 0 lines; Noah, 1a
feet; Abraham, 90 feet, and Moses, 10
feet.
1t was not until the investigations Of
DIR. Brinton, OF Philadelphia, and Dr.
Charles L. Dana, of New York, that any
precise knowledge was had in regard
to the cause of giantism, which was
stated by DR.. Dana to be a disease, /
nervous disorder having its seat in tn
pituitary gland. The gland appears Z
furnish some material necessary to tn
proper growth and action of the neT
tissues, and separates from the bloc
some substance having an importan
use in the human economy. In health
persons, when the pituitary gland is no
considered, there is one rule whicl
seems to be borne out by experience
and that is tendency toward medi
ocrity or average stature. Tall parents
have children shorter than themselves
and short parents have children taller
than themselves. This rule does not,
perhaps, extend in its application to the
entire human race, but it appears 70
apply to each race, tribe or group.-
Washington Cor. n. Y. Sun.