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differences be great, the more too are the differences
in the shapes.
PART 14
XIV. The races that differ but little from one
another I will omit, and describe the condition only
of those which differ greatly, whether it be through
nature or through custom. I will begin with the
Longheads. | Practically nothing more is told us about this race by
our other authorities, Pliny, Harpocration and Suidas. But
see Littré IV., xi. and xii. |
There is no other race at all with
heads like theirs. Originally custom was chiefly responsible
for the length of the head, but now custom
is reinforced by nature. Those that have the
longest heads they consider the noblest, and their
custom is as follows. As soon as a child is born
they remodel its head with their hands, while it
is still soft and the body tender, and force it to
increase in length by applying bandages and suitable
appliances, which spoil the roundness of the
head and increase its length. Custom originally so
acted that through force such a nature came into
being ; but as time went on the process became
natural, so that custom no longer exercised compulsion.
For the seed comes from all parts of the
body, healthy seed from healthy parts, diseased seed
from diseased parts. If, therefore, bald parents have
for the most part bald children, grey-eyed parents
grey-eyed children, squinting parents squinting
children, and so on with other physical peculiarities,
what prevents a long-headed parent having a long-headed
child?| Modern biologists hold that acquired characteristics are
not inherited. |
At the present time long-headedness
is less common than it was, for owing to intercourse
with other men the custom is less prevalent.
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