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PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY.
465
Physical Anthropology.
To the furtherance of those researches whose object is to disentangle the
complicated question about the physical characteristics of the human races with
their mutual relations and origin, Swedish investigators have contributed in an
effectual manner. In his Systema Naturæ, Linné (1707, 78) set up five different
human races, classified — chiefly according to the colour of the skin and to the
boundaries of the different parts of the world — into: Americans, Europeans,
Asiatics, Africans, and a »monstrous» race besides. Instead of this last one,
Blumenbach, the German, added the Australians as a fifth race and called these
five kinds »varieties», founding his classification also on the shape of the cranium.
By the exploratory researches of Anders Retzius (1796/1860) on the shape
of Scandinavian skulls (1842), modern anthropology was founded. He proved that
within the different varieties there are separate, typical forms of craniums. First
he examined the nations of Europe, then also those in other parts of the world,
cleared up the question on the shape of their skulls, and thus, in fact, gave rise
to this sort of investigation. His classification of the cranium shapes, according
to the relation between their length and breadth (the index cephalicus of Retzius),
into dolichocephalous and brachycephalous, has since been universally accepted.
Scen Nilsson (1787 1883), in his researches on the aborigines of Scandinavia,
tried to find out the cranium shape of the people living during the stone and
bronze ages, but the material at his disposal was too insignificant to produce
any certain results. By the examination of ancient graves from the stone, bronze,
and iron ages — carried out during the latter half of last century by N. G.
Bruzelius (1826/1901), B. E. Hildebrand (1806 84), G. von Duben (1822/92),
G. Retzius (born 1842), O. Montelius (born 1843), H. Hildebrand (born 1842),
a. o. — a rather minute knowledge has been gained about the cranium shape of
the ancient Scandinavians, and in »Crania svecica antiqua» (1899 1900) G. Retzius
has laid down an extensive account of the subject. Also E. Clason (born 1829)
has contributed to the knowledge about the cranium shape of the Swedes. The
length of body of Swedes of the present time has been examined into by V.
Hultkrantz (born 1862) in making use of a material (comprising above 232,000
individuals), collected during 1887/94 by the military authorities. During 1897
and 1898, on the incitement of the Swedish Anthropological and Geographical
Society, a careful examination was carried out on the whole militia of Sweden
(altogether about 45,000 men) of the size of body (length of body in standing
and sitting position, as well as arm-width) and of the length and width of the
head, as well as the shape of the face, and moreover, of the colour of the eyes
and hair. This material is being worked out by G. Retzius and Carl M. Ftlrst
(see page 134 and map page 135). By these means, the Swedish people has
become one amongst the best known in anthropological respect. Only in Italy and
Baden (partly also in Norway) have equally extensive researches been undertaken.
Botany.
Botanical studies were first pursued, in Sweden as elsewhere, for practical
purposes, but towards the close of the 16th century scientific interest in the
subject began to manifest itself. As the earliest writers on the subject in Sweden
J. Chesnecopherus (1581/1635) and J. Franck (1590/1661) deserve to be
mentioned; their works, however, display industrious study of the writings of
foreigners rather than results of independent research and observation. It is not until
Sweden. 30
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