Abstract
ON November 17, Dr. J. H. Hutton, the Indian Census Commissioner, gave a lecture, which is now available, before the Royal Society of Arts (J. Roy. Soc. Arts, 82, No. 4226). Summarising the results of his work, Dr. Hutton discussed the racial elements in the population of India at length, analysing it into no less than six distinct strains. To a Negrito (Andamanese) sub-stratum must be added a race of Australoid affinities, which is “widely spread” in India. Thirdly, an immigration of Austro-Asiatic speaking peoples can be traced from the Punjab hills to the Bay of Bengal. Fourthly came the Dravidian speaking peoples, described by Dr. Hutton as “Mediterranean” and “Armenoid”, from Mesopotamia. Fifthly and sixthly, Dr. Hutton associates Indian brachycephaly with an Aryan speaking stock, described as “Alpine” and said to have preceded the true Aryans. At the conclusion, Mr. K. de B. Cod-rington pointed out that Dr. Hutton's analysis was based almost entirely on linguistic evidence. No craniometrical evidence can be brought forward in support of the suggested Negrito strain, nor is a widely spread Australoid type discernible. Brachycephaly cannot be seized upon as an isolated fact and labelled Alpine. Furthermore, Harrower's opinion, that there is no support for the identification of the Dravidian and Mediterranean types, should be given serious attention. In putting forward such theories, the canons of biological thought must be obeyed, and due consideration given to current anthropometrical opinion.
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Racial Elements in India. Nature 132, 923 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132923b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132923b0