Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-20
future MAN SEEN
AS MAKING GAINS
Brain Development Especially
to Be Expected, Says
Or. Ales HrdIicka.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

ZION In the annual lecture Oh the amer
lean Philosophical Society," oldest of
| American scientific bodies meeting In
Philadelphia last night.
Dr. Hrdlicka's conclusions were based
upon the exact measurement of thou
sands of skulls and other skeletal mate
rial in the National Museum here and
on numerous field measurements OF liv-
| ing individuals. In this way he has
been able to determine tendencies now
operating which may be expected to
continue for many years.
The man of thousands of years hence,
as pictured by DR.. Hrdlicka, will be .
strikingly different organism than the
! human being of today Man" he said,
| lis not yet perceptibly near the end OF
his evolution. According TO all tndica-
| lions. he will for a long time keep on
progressing in adaptation and diheren-
tiation.
Main Human Stream.
But this applies only to the main
stream of humanity, the civilized man.
The rest will be more or less brought
along or left behind. So far as can be
discerned, there is no promise OF event.
ual equality of races. and the gulf be-
tween the front and back ranks viii
probably increase. There Will always
be masters and servants.
THE progress of the advancing parts
OF the race may be foreseen to be eS-
sentially toward greater mental EN-
cheney and potentially. 1t Will be
mainly q further differentiation and
refinement Of the brain and OF the
sensory nervous system. It Is the
factors that call for such further deyel-
opments that predominant even more
in the modern world. The further
mental developments may be expected
to be attended by an additional IN
crease in brain size. but this gross In
crease will, as witnessed with superior
brains of today, be Of but moderate
proportions.
"The skull will in all probability be
thinner than it is today, partly because
of the charging brain, but mainly to
still further expectable diminurion OF
the stresses of the muscles of mastica-
ton. The skull, on the whole. may be
expected to grow fuller laterally and
also higher. due to developments in the
direction of least resistance. The hair
Of the head probably will be further
weakened.
Stature Of Future Man.
1.-THE stature promises generally to be
somewhat higher than today among the
best nourished and least repressed
groups. There is no indication as yet
that 1t may reach what today would be
termed gigantism. The face, 1t may be
expected. viii proceed slowly in refine
ment, handsomeness and character,
partly through intensifying intelligent
marital selection, partly through fur
ther reduction Of the bony parts due to
diminished mastication, and partly
through further development Of the
frontal portion of the skull.
THE eyes will be rather deeper set
the nose prominent and narrow. the
mouth smaller, the chin more promi-
nent, the Jaws even more moderate and
less regular, the teeth rather smaller,
diminished in number, less regular
than now in eruption and position and
even less resistant The future Of the
beard is uncertain, but no such weak
ening as with the hair Of the head is
yet observable.
1.-THE body will tend to slenderness in
youth, the breasts will grow smaller,
the lower limbs longer. the upper limbs
rather shorter the hands and feet mar
rover, the fingers and toes more Slen-
der, with the fifth toe probably further
diminishing. /
las to the internal organs, the only
more plainly foreshadowed possibilities
are further weakening and diminution
Of the appendix, and shortening, with
diminution of capacity. of the intestineS.
AS food may safely be expected to be
continually more refined and made
more digestible, the necessity of spa
cious large intestine will diminish in
proportion.
More Rapid Respiration.
"Physiologically, the tendencies indi-
cate a rather more rapid pulse and res
piration, with slightly increased temper
allure, livelier rather than a more slug
giSh metabolism. Substantial changes
In these organic functions, however are
not to be expected for many millen-
NUNS
There is also the debit side to be
considered. Functional disorders and
those of digestion, secretion, elimination
and sleep cannot but multiply with the
increasing stresses, exertions and abb
sorptions. Mental arrangements will
diseases, such as diabetes, and various
skin diseases will probably increase until
thoroughly understood and hindered. The
teeth, mouth, nose, eyes and ears will
ever call for an increased attention and
there will be trouble with the feet Due
to prolonged life, heart troubles, apo
pickles, cancer and senile weakness of
ell sorts will tend to be more common
until mastered by medicine. All these,
with many abnormal social factors, will
retard but not stop mans progress, for
he will rise equal to all his growing
needs as they develop and begin to
hurt.
eff there is danger to human future
1t lies In the birth rate Of the torch
bearers. Even now the birth rate in
fu rai1foe af Tho fv,ka {e
satisfactory. Large brains and large
families do not 60 well together. The
causes of it have not been sufficiently
studied"
Emerging From Infancy.
Man has barely emerged from his in
fancy, DR.. Hrdlicka said. IF man has
existed $4,000 years." he continued,
which, according to our present knowl- |
edge, would be moderate estimate, |
then his infancy and childhood may be |
said to have taken over 100000 years. |
The progress was very slow, yet for the |
main stream it was always progress
and never repression. The great |
wonder is how man sustained himself
during this long, dangerous, almost |
helpless period of his dawning abilities |
and consciousness.
up to the end of the last main gla- |
citation man progressed evidently but very |
slowly In numbers. He did but slightly |
better than to sustain himself. The |
main phenomena of human differen- |
tiation or evolution throughout the past |
are, on the one hand, a progressive |
mentality and. on the other hand, a |
progressive physical adaptation. AL
gradually growing conquest over the |
environment Is noticed. Cold, heat, |
storm, famine, the marsh, forest, NOUN
tain, sea and the wild animals are more |
and more effectively understood and
mastered.
when we impersonally observe the |
present, 1t is seen to be merely de- |
veloping continuation of the past. Man
Is still as plastic in body and mind as i
he ever was, probably even more so. He |
is still struggling with environment, but