The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-26


distinguishing traits of the man of genius
IL would suffice 10 say that these are
sometimes in excess and sometimes short
of the same traits observed in the man OF
average attachments.
If, for instance, we begin by noting the
height of the man of genius, we are at
once struck with the fact, pointed out by
Mr.. Havelock Ellis, that the great majority
of such men are to be found in either of
two classes-the tallest and the shortest
On the other hand, among men of average
mental attainments, the greater number
are Of medium height. Thus, in this latter
class, 16 per cent. are of low, l6 per cent
Of high, and 6s per cent. of medium stature.
Turning to men of genius, we find that the
percentages are 81. per cent dow Al
per cent. (high), and only % per cent.
(medium)
Examples of short stature combined with
genius are Epictetus (who would often say:
who II A little MANI among the
ancients, and George Eliot and A c. Swim
burne among the moderns. Among great
men of tall stature may be mentioned
Petrarch, Goethe and Tennyson.
An equally well defined statement may
Herman believed he could prove the alb
sence of degeneracy among men of genius
by giving a long list of stout notabilities;
e. g.. Victor. Hugo. Renan, Lee. Rossini
(who was unable to see his feet), and
Balzac (whose waist could hardly be span
ned by three people, putting their hands
together.) He forgot one thing, however,
that obesity is itself a sign of degeneracy,
and we, in our turn, could furnish no less
lengthy list of very thin geniuses, such,
for instance. as Pascal. Kepler, Voltaire
(of whom 1t was said that his body was but
thin veil through which his soul could
be SEEM, and Giotto Gan example of
emasculation almost)
CURIOUS BRAIN PROBLEMS
If, now we pass to the examination of
brain capacity and development, we find
that the majority of men of genius-Volta,
Petrarch, Kant, for instance-possessed a
very high brain capacity. Lebon, on ex-
aiming the skulls of twenty-six French
men Of genius, found that they yielded an
average capacity of 1,732 cubic centimetres
"a little over 200 in excess of the average;
this is the more remarkable from the
fact that several individuals, chosen from
among the twenty-six, had only a medium
capacity, e. e.. Descartes. Tissot and Hoff-
mann. OF the brains Of twelve famous
Germans, studied by Wagner and Buchoff,
eight had either decidedly low or a very
high capacity-Dollinger 1907 and Liebig
1852, for instance. On the other hand one
had long believed that a great develop
ment of brain circumvolution, together with
symmetrical beauty of the face, were gener-
al characteristics of the men Of genius
but here also the exceptions are numer-
Gus, an extraordinary emaciation of the
skull being frequently noticeable. Exam
pies of this class are Bertillon, Gambetta
and Liebig (who possessed many irregular
tiles of an hereditary nature). We have not
dealt with infiammations of the brain men,
branes, shown in such a case as Donni-
zetti's; and we may contrast with the
facial beauty and harmonious skull form of
abnormally large features hereditary of
such men as Skoda and Nobilis, who pos
sessed almost idiotic looks It is interest
ing to note that Clement vi is said to have
acquired genius as result of a blow which
his skull received in his childhood. The
Australian novelist, Marcus Clarke, had a
similar experience.)
A mark of creative genius, of more gen.
eral occurrence, misoneism Tor the rejection
of the discovery or work of others) Is often
the most terrible obstacle to progress Ma
poleon would have nothing to do with steam,
and Richelieu threw into a lunatic asylum
the man who discovered it; Voltaire denied
the value of fossils to science; Darwin
jeered at hypnotism, and Virchow absolute
ly denied Darwinism and criminal anthro-
pology.
GREAT MEN AND FORGETFULNESS.
But it is of other phenomena, more impor-
tant still in considering this question, that
I specially wish to speak-amnesia, or for