Essay on the Theory of the Earth, 1813 by Georges Cuvier

Author:Georges Cuvier [Cuvier, Georges]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Ancient, General, Social Science, Anthropology
ISBN: 9781136977558
Google: l3l0DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-10-24T01:33:23+00:00

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See, in the Annals of the Museum, XVIII. 333. a memoir by any brother on the varieties of dogs, which he drew up at my request, from a series of skeletons of all the varieties of dogs, prepared by me expressly on purpose.

§ 32. Proofs that there are no Human Bones in a Fossil State.

I now proceed to apply the previous reasonings to the human race. It is quite undeniable that no human remains have been hitherto discovered among the extraneous fossils; and this furnishes a strong proof that the extinct races which are now found in a fossil state, were not varieties of known species, since they never could have been subjected to human influence.

When I assert that human bones have not been hitherto found among extraneous fossils, I must be understood to speak of fossüs or petrifactions, property so called : As in peat depositions or turf hogs, and in alluvial formations, as well as in ancient burying-grounds, the bones of men with those of horses, and other ordinary existing species of animals may readily enough be found; but among the fossil palæothtria, the elephants, the rhinoceroses, &c the smallest fragment of human bone has never been detected. Most of the labourers in the gypsum quarries about Paris are firmly persuaded that the bones they contain are in a great part human; but after having seen and carefully examined many thousands of these bones, I may safely affirm that not a single fragment of them has ever belonged to our species.

I carefully examined at Pavia the collection of extraneous forsil bones brought there by Spalbanzani from the island of Cerigo; and, not-withstanding the assertion of that celebrated observer, I affirm that there is not a single fragment among them that ever formed part of a human skeleton.

In my fourth volume, the homo diluoii testis of Scheuchzer is restored to the proteus, its true genus; and in a still more recent examination of it at Haerlem, allowed me by the politeness of M. Van Marum, who even permitted me to uncover some parts that were before enveloped in the stone, I obtained decisive proof of what I had before announced.

Among the fossil bones discovered at Cronstadt, the fragment of a jaw, together with some articles of human manufacture, was found; but it is well known that the ground was dug up without any precautions, and no notes were taken of the different depths at which each article was found- Every where else, the fragments of bone considered as human have been found to belong to some animal, either when the fragments themselves have been actually examined, or even when their engraved figures have been inspected. Such real human bones as have been found in a fossil state, belonged to bodies which had fallen into crevices of rocks, or had been left in the forsaken galleries of ancient mines, and were covered up by incrustation. The same has been the case with all articles of human fabric. The

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