The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-06-24

though you may Rever have sus-
peeted the fact. you are = finished
and perfect product of evolution.
The next time you have q cold or
: bunion or = t0CthAche, or your
mechanism II Otherwise on the
blink, comfort yourself, IL You can.
with the reflection that you are
natures masterpiece.
All OF which is = way Of saying
that, according to ]. W. Gidley,
paleontologist OF the National mu-
scum, mans anatomy has reached
q stage where it will probably
never change any more-or ct least
not for about . million years.
Neither in body nor In mind has
man made any real progress IN that
time. It Is only his culture-th
accumulated result Of all the ef-
forts OF many generations-which
really changes. and which makes
man appear to change. The popu-
lar idea that man is evolving is all
wrong. Biologically speaking. hu-
man progress ended million years
ago. s
According to theories Of evolu-
ton, il cat eats nothing but grass,
its teeth will in time be modified
In shape so that they are efficient
for nibbling, but they will proba-
bly, not be much good for tearing
flesh. In the same way, q bird
that does not use its wings will in
q few geologic ages lose all power
of flight. But this principle holds
good only>so far. When an animal
has become specialized and adapt
ed to his environment as far as his
structure will permit without en-
dangering the balance necessary to
existence. he usually stops chang
Ting, and finally, it is supposed,
loses power of development.
There is . difference Of opinion
as to whether man has reached the
point where he is best adapted to
his surroundings, or whether he
will continue to evolute. Mr.. Gid
ley says that mans present me-
chanical arrangement is perma-
nent. He refutes the suggestion
that mans jawbone will shrink and
his teeth drop out because he eats
more soft foods and does not chew
so vigorously as his cave-man an
cestors. Man knows enough about
chemistry to understand what kind
i of foods are necessary to insure
health, and there is little prospect
of his jaw disappearing on a bal
anced ration.
| Our Toes Are Safe.
| Nor does Mr.. Gidley think we
need worry over the prophecy that
our descendants heads will be all
brain-not by present indications.
We have been further warned by
some men of science that our toes
all except the big one, are already
useless from lack Of exercise. and
that eventually they will grow
shorter and disappear altogether
like the horses long discarded toes
This fear, too, Mr.. Gidley regards
las groundless, for while the mus
lcles of the shorter digits are not
particularly flexible in modern
shoes, yet we do use them in bal
ancing. Statues of the old Greek
gods and athletes show that they
poised themselves on the inside Of
the foot, method which gave bott
the appearance and feeling OF light
ness. Had the Greek ideal per
sisted, the outer toes of man nigh
by now be almost atrophied, prob
ably to the improvement Of human
posture.
II such a change were taking
place. and a few scientists insis
that it is, we would not be awar'
of it, SO slowly does nature pro
gress. For instance, it took tn,
horse a few million years to grow
> hoofs which he needed for speed
Y As the horse was not built 10
fighting, he is not always poised Of
: the tips of his four-toed feet read
t to escape when an armored dino
!. saur or a megatherium came lum
bering on him. If you go into al
e most any big museum you can Sc
. the bones of the horses foot at dit
i ferent stages Of his development
Biologists have unearthed tn
!. bones of horses that lived 100000
r years ago. These horses wer
about the size of q dog and ha
. four toes. Before that it is beliey
= ed that there must have been fiv'
Three million years later. ther
!. we're only three, and the middl
digit had by that time become larg
: and resembled hoof, while tn
bones of the toes on each side ha
shortened until they did not reac
+. the ground.
II Man q Weak Animal.
Because he specialized in spec,
= the horse can now run as fast q
y 80 miles an hour, while man at hi
y swiftest can make only about twel
u 4