1871, p. 240.) that the low and degraded inhabitants of the Andaman
Islands, on the eastern side of the Gulf of Bengal, are eminently
susceptible to any change of climate: in fact, take them away from
their island homes, and they are almost certain to die, and that
independently of diet or extraneous influences. He further states that
the inhabitants of the Valley of Nepal, which is extremely hot in
summer, and also the various hill-tribes of India, suffer from
dysentery and fever when on the plains; and they die if they attempt to
pass the whole year there.
We thus see that many of the wilder races of man are apt to suffer much
in health when subjected to changed conditions or habits of life, and
not exclusively from being transported to a new climate. Mere
alterations in habits, which do not appear injurious in themselves,
seem to have this same effect; and in several cases the children are
particularly liable to suffer. It has often been said, as Mr. Macnamara
remarks, that man can resist with impunity the greatest diversities of
climate and other changes; but this is true only of the civilised
races. Man in his wild condition seems to be in this respect almost as
susceptible as his nearest allies, the anthropoid apes, which have
never yet survived long, when removed from their native country.
Lessened fertility from changed conditions, as in the case of the
Tasmanians, Maories, Sandwich Islanders, and apparently the
Australians, is still more interesting than their liability to
ill-health and death; for even a slight degree of infertility, combined
with those other causes which tend to check the increase of every
population, would sooner or later lead to extinction. The diminution of
fertility may be explained in some cases by the profligacy of the women
(as until lately with the Tahitians), but Mr. Fenton has shewn that
this explanation by no means suffices with the New Zealanders, nor does
it with the Tasmanians.
In the paper above quoted, Mr. Macnamara gives reasons for believing
that the inhabitants of districts subject to malaria are apt to be
sterile; but this cannot apply in several of the above cases. Some
writers have suggested that the aborigines of islands have suffered in
fertility and health from long continued inter-breeding; but in the
above cases infertility has coincided too closely with the arrival of
Europeans for us to admit this explanation. Nor have we at present any
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