The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-02-22
THE COMING MAN.
NONETOO FLATTERING FORECAST
OF FUTURE MANKIND.

Some Startling Facts Regarding Changes
Which the Human Structure Is Undergo
Ing Physically. What Deep Research Has
Revealed. 1t8
Deep researches as TO the structure of
the human body have recently furnished
some startling facts regarding changes
winch man is at present undergoing
physically. ..... 5.E
Alder has clearly proved that man was
formerly endowed with more teeth than
he possesses now. Abundant evidence
exists that ages and ages ago human
seeth were used as weapons of defense.
Internationally traces of such use are
often revealed by spear, The teeth are
sometimes barred dog-iike, ready, as it
were, for action. The muscles thus
brought into play are aptly called ''sna1l-
ing muscles" by Sir G. Bell,
Tie practice of eating our food cooked
and the disuse of teeth as weapons is
largely responsible for the degeneration
that is undoubtedly going on.
The wisdom teeth, In fact, are disap-
pearing. Human jaws found in reputed
Palaeclithlc deposits have wisdom teeth
with crowns as large as, if not larger,
than the remaining molars.
Changes are taking place in the cages
like part of the skeleton known as the
thorax. The vertebral column, or back
bone, was furnished 10 the remote past
with far greater number of ribs than at
present.
Alterations in the feet are very mark
ed. AS the foot became a support for
the body, instead of a selling organ, its
form charged considerably, and the
muscles of the leg became larger. AT
the present time all the toes, with the
exception of the great Zoe, are retrograd-
ing; indeed, the little toe is becoming
double ointed like the thumb. taE "a
A comparison with the change that
has taken place in the horse is of great
interest. The horse at one time possess
ed five toes. One of these gradually
developed at the expense OF the others,
which in course Of time disappeared.
This huge toe continued G, develop,
and the nail or claw finally became e1-
aggerated into hoof. Rudimentary
bones of toes are still found in the horse
of today, while fossils of the existing
horse are extant with these toe bones
much more highly developed. Lastly, to
crown all an ancestor of the horse has
been discovered having four complete
toes and one rudimentary.
Man appears TO be going through the
same change as the horse has undergone
In ancient times a short>sighted soldier
or hunter was almost an impossibility
today whole nation is afflicted with de-
fective vision. .sl a
1t is almost certain that man once
possessed third eye, by means of which
he was enabled to see above his head.
The human eyes formerly regarded
the world form two sides of the head:
they are even now gradually shifting to a
more forward position.
In the CHM past the ear flap was of
great service In ascertaining the direc>
tion of sounds, and operated largely in
the play of the features. Both the mus
Giles of the ear have fallen into disuse,
for the fear OF surprise by enemies no
longer exists. 4
Again, our sense of smell is markedly |
inferior to that of savages. That it is
still decreasing is evidenced by observa>
tons of the satisfactory organ. But the
nose itself indicates tendency to be-
come more prominent.-LondOn Mail.