The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1905-04-08

10 the race OF pygmies, ami yet noDody
believed in their existence. 1t was
only in comparatively modern times
that ignorance had to yield to evidence
when races of pygmies were found in
Africa and In Asia. In Europe popular
myths gave animportant role TO dwarfs
and pygmies in England, Scotland and
Ireland. In Denmark they We're called
Kobold: i'll Germany, Niebelung. and
they were referred to In Russin nnd
even in France as if the legends re-
tiected the distant recollection of popu-
latiOns Of little people who really lived
In far-off ages. 1t is now proved con-
clusively that the ancient popular he
lief was founded In fact. 1t links the
tradition to its starting point. The
race of little people existed almost
everywhere.
Numerous skeletons OF dwarfs are
found in Egyptian necropoli. in Greek
and Roman statuary. In the frescoes of
Pompeii and in some ornamental cera-
mic vases of Roman Gaul. Numerous
skeletons of pysmies. mingled with
those of rien of ordinary stature. have
been found in number OF prehistoric
sepulchres. We should also mention
the skeletons of pygmies found in the
sepulchres of the neolithic period at
the time Of the excavations in Switzer-
land under the direction of Miesch and
KOllmann. Then came the discoveries
of NJ. Manourbrier and of Nacher de
LapoIge in Herault. and in the cases
of the Cevennes, and more recently
,f NJ TN
1t is certain that there existed in re-
mote ages race of dwarfs which re-
mnincd as 4 distinct race for long
time. Traces of them are found among
the Romans and the Slays. According
to Gulturam. of Colmar, these races of
dwarfs peOpled Switzerland and the
whole of lower Alsace. while Mlcsch
and kOllmann claim that they We're
the primitive people of Europe. The
assertion Is also made that, inasmuch
as traces of pyglnies are found in
ably were the advance guard of the
present variety of the human race, just
as in the case Of animals the big came
from the little. 1t was toward the
close of the ninth century that all trace
OF them as COLLECTIVELY was lost.
Nevertheless. after that period isolated
specimens of them were found from
time TO time. particularly In the differ
cnt courts of Europe, where they were
employed as testers. .1
At the present time. MS every body
knows, lwarfs STILL exist, but there are
dwarfs and dwarfs. Dwar1sm, or the
liminution more or less remarkable Of
the ordinary stature, has been of late
the subject of important Investigation.
There is evidently pathological
Gwarf. That type has nh ensemble CT
clinical signs. giving him place set
apart for himself. Professor Poncet.
Of the University of Lyon. and NJ.
Rene Leriche in a very interesting
communication to the Academy of Med
icine. entitled "Dwarfs Of the Present
Time and Dwarfs Of Long Ago." have
Just brought up the question whether
among the pathological dwarfs there
have not often been enormously in
ciuded an important category of dwarfs
that should be separated from them.
because they belong to nothing In pa
thology and because in reality they are
only very little men. remnants of the
ancient race of dwarfs. These isolated
specimens came down from prehistoric
times. They present the popularity CT
being an clinical attribute and conse-
uuently hereditary, while the only
dwarfs considered in medical litera-
ture are creatures reduced in all their
proportions and whose fundamental
character is their inaptncss for re-
production.
From this category NJ. Poneet and ".
Jericho separate the ancestral dwarf
ism which is determined by the ntavic
recall of the ancient type of pygmies.
type which disappeared in our re-
gions about the middle OF the Christian
era. NJ. POncet and NJ. Jericho base
vatiOns. They made n study of two
creatures. brother and sister. born in
little village on the banks of the River
Ain. They are both fine specimens of
pygmies. Their stature is three feet
eleven and three-quarter inches and
three feet ten inches. Their father and
grandfather were of small stature,
each standing four feet six. They We're
intelligent. strong and muscular Their
mother is still living. She is forty-nine
years old, and IN height measures four
feet eight inches. Her third child
young woman Of twenty-siS summers.
is slightly above the average female
stature. She is five feet six inches.
Pierre. the eldest son. is thrty-on
years old. His intelligence is normal.
He las the head and body of the aver
age man. There is nothing particular
about him except the shortncss of his
limbs. His bones are large. but not
,.eformed. His hands are small. and
his muscles are powerful. He can hold
with ease a weight OF thirty-iive
pounds with the arm fully extended.