Democratic messenger., 1911-10-21
THE HUMAN SKIN.
Changes In Its Hues That Have
Come With the Ages.
COLOR A MATTER OF CLIMATE.
Mans Original Shade 10 Believed to
Have Been a 6rownish Ycllow--The
Same Forces That Made Men White,
Black and Yellow still Operating.


Black and Yellow Still Operating.
Mans original color and the cause OF
the changes In that color TO the various
hues that mark the skins OF the differ.
cnt races have leng been Il study
among men OF science.
The theory Of Professor Lionel Lyde.
Nh English scientist. IL that, whatever
the color of primitive man In the be-
ginning. the conditions of life during
the glacial period we're surh that uni.
formlty OF results must hG ,e been pro-
duced. Nearly every anthropologist is
ready TO admit now common origin
for all mankind. Where man origi.
mated IL not known--very likely In
southern Asin. possibly in Africa. GER
tainly not In Europe. they say. His
original color Is SUPPOSED to have been
u sort OF brownish yellow not ike any
of the colors OF mankind today, and
scientists call him. for tho sake of
calling him something. n Condwana.
lie lived IN southern ATTITUDES. This.
they think. is certain. Then came
migrations. and then. Professor Lyde
believes. the variations OF color began.
Some turned white. some turned black,
some brown and some yellow. all ac-
cording 10 the climate In which they
found themselves
Climate influences worked directly
and indirectly. In the tropics the skin
and the intestines perform work which
In temperate zones Is thrown on the
lungs So when man found himself In
cooler lands the increased activity of
the lungs. together with the lessened
light and heat. favored tightening of
the skin When lie found himself in
of the liver and the presence Of great
light favored a dark skin.
The old theories OF race are pretty
well discarded for men Of the same
race. under differing conditions, would
come to be outwardly very different.
Thus even In Africa. which everybody
thinks OF as the land of blacks. black
Il not ~ alt the universal color. In
the Sudan. where there are great light
and little humidity and no shade. the.
men are very black. Elsewhere In
Africa. whore there are forest. more
humidity and less light. though about
equal heat. the color IL brown and even
yellow.
As primitive man went on his way
over the globe he adapted himself TO
lta
Lyde thinks that II IS light and not
heat which is injurious. There are
In the tropics dangerous X-like rays
which must be stopped. and they were
stopped by The darkening of the skin.
Since lack of moisture also tends TO
give a tawny color. il Is found that In
rainy countries the people are fairer
than In pl;.es where there are long
aud frequent droughts.
The race. then. that found home In
moderate and damp climates turned
| whittier and whittier II Is only In such
climates that white skins can endure
and presumably. II the present white
race was turned into different part
of the world for many hundreds Of
years. the wllitcness Of skin would
gradually bc lost. Perhaps. since the
| white man Is spreading over the world
| to-day. Il wonld he fair Ia say II will.
In such casce hr lost. the whlteness
helng retained only in climates that
have the conditions under which the
race WAS first bleached
Intensity ~ light aud little humidity
made hlact Trade winds aud little
humidity gave the iingc Of brown 10
the suhiropicnl Mediterranean people
Then comes yellow. which Professor
I.yde puts down rs the Result NJ vast
desicraiIng grass lands" IN intemper
Hic attitudes
Tile yellow man Ii the product of
the grass lands. with lack of humidity
and sen Snnal extremes Of temperature.
The color man exposed 10 such con-
ditinnS would naturally take would be
one which couserveS heat nearly as
well rs white. lint viii. h also protects
from light. fnr which combination vel
low WIS the bcst. or red. The nor
iiftl fOihf ~ tfifNt fRlA W luP EtuNH
lands would he changed by special
local conditions. such ms The presence
OF mountains or proximity 10 the sea
The menntaineers OF Asia and the
maritime Mougolians nre lighter in
color than their brothers of the inland
plnlns.
- Professor I.yde. therefore. skin
color Is entirely matter ~ climate
II Is u well established phenomenon
now because the different portions of
the human race lived segregated for
thousands ~ years In special areas.
but the same forces that made men
white and black and yellow are oper
ating today. slowly. but surely. Men
who change their dwelling places will
still. after hundreds of generations.
change also their skins ms they did IN
the epoch Of tho first miCratloms. New
York Times