The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-30
WHY rs TIE NEGROES SKIN
BLACK?

| w II 10 lfiII ~ lLtTlLhJ y ESIN1L>
BLACK?
Interesting Discussion of a Reconcile
Subject.
In Pediatrics about a year ago We
hament discussion was raised by the
publication in the editorial columns of
J that paper of the statement, made on
| the authority of a French physician
that negro babies when born We're of a
| plnkish hue; in fact, differed ute, If al
! all, in color from infants born of white
parents. This expression Of opinion was
strongly rebutted by physicians IN the
south, who with unanimity declared
, that they had never seen a baby, born
| of black parents white at birth. The
| Lancet, in Great Britain, took the mat
| ter up, as we'll as many medical jour
| nails on this side and although their
| correspondents were all Of one mind as
| to the negro progeny when born not be-
ing white, yet curious to say there
was considerable divergence Of views
with regard to the exact tint The
truth is, that all newly born negro In
fants are not Of quite the same color
but very to a certain extent However,
the assertion of the French physician
that they are of a delicate pinliish hue
was totally dsproved,
Anthropologists and men of science
have for long wrestled with the pro-
blem with respect to the cause Of the
color of the black man, Men OF reli-
gion hold that it is owing to the curse
of his father falling upon the descend
ants of Ham. Some think that the ne
gro is a distinct race, whose color has
been the same since the world was first
peopled, while again Others contend
that the human people were all origl-
nally of the same color, and that the
change has been effected by the infiu-
ence of the climate of the countries in
which they have lived
The question is dealt with in an in
teresting manner by writer in a jour
nal named the Family Doctor, who
says: Though children in tropical eli
mates may be born apparently white,
of parents whom the solar heat has
darkened in hue, and though we have
not the means of ascertaining that
white nations exposed in tropical eli
mates for ages do become darker, still,
in conformity with the well-known law
Oh tne tTdUSflllSSlOn Oh neEeuildIS iilu-
tai qualities, parents 50 blackened can
communicate a slight, though impercep-
tible tinge to their offspring, who will
thus enter upon existence with a larger
share of black than their parents, and
If equally exposed themselves, Will con-
vey more to the next generation, Thus
the black tribes of Africa may have be-
come so through a long succession of
ages. while the more recently peopled
countries of tropical America exhibit
the process in a comparatively early
stage. 1t is needless to present in OPP
position TO this theory that no change
has been observable since the discovery
of America, for the ages required fer
the process must have been analogous
to those required for geological phe-
nomena, and are not to be squared with
our usual ideas of time. All the varia-
tons in the external appearance of
man. however, cannot be referred to
the influence of the solar heat, though,
before mentioning other causes, we
may point out another clear instance of
its action In the cases of the abort
gines of Hindustan, who are somewhat
Drowned in complexion. the action of
the climate is clearly observable, which /
is proved by the circumstance Of the |
female inhabitants Of the harem, de- /