Abstract
MR. McINERNY here develops further his theories of the part played by the great deserts in human evolution. He holds that these great arid stretches of land in the Old World, extending from North Africa to Central Asia and from the Hindu Kush to Manchuria, are zones of disinfection which, by purifying the infected air coming from the tropical zones of jungle and swamp and causing it to be then distributed in the upper air to zones of development, have been the principal, though not the sole, factor in the evolution of man from the negro of the jungle to the yellow man of sub-arid areas and then the white race. Heidelberg man and Neanderthal man and related forms of extinct man are premature escapes from the zones of development. Mr. Mclnerny also turns his attention to America. Here, he holds, the influence of the deserts has not been strong enough to produce races capable of an advanced civilisation. In consequence, he is dubious as to the future of the white races now living on that continent. His views in their application to the question of ethno logical affinities produce some new and startling results.
The Rôle of the Deserts.
A. J.
McInerny
By. (The Channing Useful Pocket Series, 7.) Pp. 51 + 6 plates. (London: The Channing Press, 1933.) 4s. 6d. net.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
[Short Reviews]. Nature 134, 556 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134556c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134556c0