Evening star., 1935-09-07
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
pY TuAMlS p HENRY
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Grotesque Pithecanthropus erectus-
the tree-climbing ape man of Java long
considered by the majority of anthro-
biologists as the most ancient and primi-
tive branch of the human family tree
Of which any traces have been found
was not q man but superior type OF
gibbon.
This is the final admission of Prof
Eugene Dubois of Haarlem, Holland, the
discoverer and custodian of the bones
of this remarkable creature. after nearly
As years of intensive study. The an
nouncement. just received by American
anthropologists, promises to be one OF
the landmarks in the science of mans
ancestry. For q generation nearly all
students have been taught that Pithe-
canthropus was the first man."
1t was in 1891 that Prof. Dubois, then
q Dutch Army surgeon in Java, made
the astounding discovery of these bones
near the Trinil River in geological
deposit estimated to be about 2000, 900
years old. The Darwinian hypothesis of
the descent Of man from some apelike
ancestor still was news" Biologists
were demanding q missing link" and
the Java bones, unique among all NAM
malian remains, seemed to fill part of
the specifications. These remains con-
sisted only of a skull cap and thigh
bone, but from them could be recon-
structed q tentative picture of the crea-
ture as it had appeared during life.
1t must have been an animal far closer
to man than any Of the living great
apes. This was evidenced particularly
hxy hill Ap6 oanSidArs
able detail concerning the brain itself
the outstanding criterion of humanity
could be deduced.
1t was brain midway in size between
those of man and such an animal as
the gorilla. The cranial capacity OF
Pithecanthropus, 1t was deduced must
have been slightly more than 900 cubic
centimeters. This represents about rs
per cent of the capacity of the average
human brain and is about so per cent
greater than the average capacity OF
gorilla brain. The contour and pattern
of the cerebral cortex, as deduced from
the skull cap. also were strikingly hu-
man. The thigh bone showed strikingly
human characteristics. 1t was even de-
duced that PithecanthropuS had at
least the rudiments of speech. Experts
even speculated that the remains were
those Of q primitive old woman-the
anthropologiSt's Eve instead OF Adam.
Prof. Dubois himself retained possess
sion Of the bones. They could not be
seen by the general public, but the dis
coverer published very complete de-
scriptions of them and permitted their
study by competent physical anthropolo-
gists. Only few doubling voices were
raised now and then among scientists.
Although the bones were strikingly "hu-
man." these pointed out. they also were
strikingly gibbonish, and 1t was at least
possible that they were those Of highly
abnormal specimen Of these most primi-
tive of the anthropoid apes. DR.. Dubois
himself regarded the creature as well
on the human side Of the line. This view
became almost . dictum OF anthro-
pology.
Meanwhile, other remains of ancient
members Of the human family were be-
ing discovered all over the Old World.
These, however, all were bones OF men
and women, however crude and primi-
tive the owners may have been in life.
They were man beasts with somewhat
ahherant brains well within the human
capacity range. And all came from
more recent deposits than did the bones