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ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND RACEsBIOLOGICAL
RESEARCHES IN SWEDEN
BY
MARTIN RAMSTRÖM, M. D.
PROFESSOR, UPPSALA
ANTHROPOLOGY, THE SCIENCE OF MAN, IN ITS WIDEST SENSE
includes in its scope the whole essence of man. In the following descrip*
tion, however, it is only intended to consider the somatical anthropology,
the science telling of the bodily qualities of the human being with the history of
his origin and development, together with that of the human species.
Several other branches of science that are nearly connected with this must
also be considered here, first] of all race*biology, ethnography, and archæology.
Race=biology treats of the life of families, peoples and races. It employs itself
with all the factors — favourable or unfavourable — that are able to influence and
alter the primitive species or race conditions in given groups of human beings.
Thus it is not interested in the first place in the generations living now, but has
the task of inquiring into the connection between the different generations. On
account of this it is clear that hereditary investigation must play a very dominant
part in its work.
Ethnology (Ethnography) treats of the human being as a member of society.
It employs itself with the structure of society, with the occupations, Janguage and
conception of religion among different peoples at different periods of time, with
their tools, dwelling*places, clothes and such things.
Archæology, the science of antiquarian research, employs itself in investigating
the remains of tools, ornaments, graves, dwelling*places etc. belonging to people
in pre*historical times.
Already in Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Galenus together with many other
naturalists from ancient times, we find a great deal of anthropological information
which is both interesting and of a certain amount of value, and by means of the
great geographical discoveries in the 15th century the area of anthropological
knowledge was expanded to a large degree. But it was first through the great
naturalists of the 18th century that anthropology began to take a more scientific form.
The general scientific foundation was laid by the Swede, Carl von Linné
(Linnæus) (1707—1778), who in his work »Systema Naturæ» (1735) partly placed
mankind in its position among Primates, and undertook a classification of the
races of humanity on the ground of their physical, mental, physiological and moral
characteristics, their geographical distribution etc. He distinguished Homo Americ*
anus, Europæus, Asiaticus, Africanus, and Homo monstrosus, a group of less
known human types, described in a more or less fantastic manner.
At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century Gall and Spurtz*
heim appeared, as is welbknown, with their cranioscopy and phrenology, and
thereby directed the anthropological interest towards the human cranium. It seems
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