Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-22
Scientist Discusses Evolution
Processes Which Develop
characteristics.
GREAT IMPROVEMENT
is DECLARED POSSIBLE
History of 0ppositions in Human
Development Found Basis for
Optimism by Scholar.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.


race mixtures which have taken place
everywhere throughout history when
ever human groups have come into
opposition, DR.. Ales Hrdlicka, curator
of physical anthropology at the National
Museum, told the Anthropologlcal
Society of Washington last night in
lecture on the origin and spread of
races.
In practice, however, certain race
| mixtures usually turn out badly, DR..
Hrdlicka said, because the weight of
4 social precedent against them is such
| that the parents are from the inferior
stock of both races and the children are
born into such poor homes that their
better qualities are killed from the start.
The biological objection to race mix
lures, he insisted, is particularly un-
/! founded when they are between closely
related races, such as different groups
of the white family. Here. If the en-
vironment is normal, there is no reason
why the children should not develop
| into f1rst-class citizens.
Chief Differences Environmental.
All the human races, DR.. Hrdlicka
| said, shade into each other, even when
| the difference is so marked as between
white and black, since the most striking
physica! differences result from environ
men. Groups, the majority of whose
| individuals can be distinguished from
| the individuals of every other group, he
| said, have existed from the earliest days
of man and probably existed among the
| sub-human species. Thus, clear race"
| differences can be found between the
Neanderthalers of Western and Central
Europe, setting them apart as def
nitely as the North Europeans and AL
pine peoples of today.
In spite of this, he insisted, there is
no evidence showing different origins for
the race groups of today. The most
striking differences are only skin deep.
The white race ranges, because of en-
vironmental differences, from the almost
| unpigmented blondes of Northern Europe
| to Arabians as brown as Indians and
| Hindus quite black, yet all strictly
white" in racial derivation.
! Under the skin, he said, the physiolo-
| gical similarity of all the races is al
most unbelievably minute in detail and
all have the same life cycles, a condi-
| ton which would not obtain II they had
different original ancestors.
Inequality Exists Today.
| AS they stand today, DR.. Hrdlicka
said all the races are not equal, equali-
/ ty being an impossibility among the
| groups of a plastic phylum still in the
grip OF evolutionary changes. While
| there Is no reason why they cannot
catch up with each other, he pointed
out, this Is very unlikely in the case of
the smaller, more belated groups who
everywhere, in contact with the ad-
vanced groups, are yielding and dying,
but leaving more or less of their blood
in the people who supersede them. Thus
the Tasmanians already have gone and
the Australians, Amos of Japan, Ne
| CRITICS and BuShmen are going.
Racial belatedneSs, he said, Is more
than a lack of present opportunity, and
| the preaching of this doctrine is unfor-
tunate since it does not spur the belated
races to greater endeavor, but only
makes them complain of the injustice
to which they are subjected.
Oblique Eyes Inherent.
Oblique eyes, such as those of Orien-
tails, he said, are probably inherent IN
nature nearly all the mammals having
them. But the natural physical effect
of broadening the forehead is to
straighten the eyes. But individuals
might depart from this rule, and where
strong group of them were associated
1t would continue to be an hereditary
character in man. They are continually
cropping out, however. in the white and
black races. while Orientals frequently
have straight eyes.
The way is by no means closed for
the emergence of new and superior
races, Dr. Hrdlicka said in an interview
discussing his lecture.
How this will take place, he said. still
is conjectural, although there are vari-
Gus indications Of what may happen.
There are heeting moments. supposedly
familiar to all, when man seems to
stand on the heights looking down on
the problems and perplexities of life,
mentally far superior TO his ordinary
self
This, he said. has physiological ex-
PLANTATION and points to the possibility
that, through the working of evolution,
the physiological mechanism Of the
brain will be so improved that such
moments will be commonplace and
I mans ordinary mental powers increased
MANIFOLD.
The 10000, 100000 odd cells which
make UP the brain, DR.. Hrdlicka ex-
planned, must obtain their oxygen and
nutrients and eliminate their waste
products through the blood stream. But
in the enormously rapid evolution of
the human brain within the narrow
confines of the skull the circulatory
system has not entirely kept pace with
the increase in cells. The network of
blood vessels carry blood to every part
of the organ, but they are comparatively
small and weak. Also they do not get
the first call on the purified blood
pumped into the system by the heart.
Brain Cells Must Breathe.
In order to work, a brain cell must
have plenty to breathe and eat. If it
tries to function on inadequate supplies
1t soon grows tired. The very work Of
thinking causes the accumulation of
waste products and toxins which must
be got rid of. The tiny transportation
system, the blood stream. requires time
to carry these toxins away. That is
why. after n great accumulation of
them, 1t is necessary to sleep, reducing
mental activity to its minimum, to give
the blood stream plenty of time. The
country without adequate railroads or
river systems
But at times, seid DR.. Hrdlicka, there
are optimum conditions when the brain
is getting q full supply of pure blood
there are no back shipments of toxins to
be made. The result is one of those
moments of supernormal mental func-
can be recognized.
But evolution, in which an organ
moves to ever greater efficiency, may
be tending to improve the brains
|, circulatory system, so that more and
! more cells can be called into action.
In this way the moment of optimum
conditions now experienced by the indi-
viduai may become more and more the