COMPLEXION, among physicians, the tempera-
ment, habitude, and natural disposition, of the body;
but more often the colour of the face and skin.
Few questions in philosophy have engaged the at-
tention of naturalists more than the diversities among
the human species, among which that of colour is the
most remarkable. The great differences in this respect
have given occasion to several authors to assert, that
the whole human race have not sprung from one origi-
nal; but that as many different species of men were at
first created as there are now different colours to be
found among them. Under the article AMERICA, N° 81
—100, we have shown that all the arguments which
can be brought for specific differences among man-
kind, whether drawn from a difference of colour, sta-
ture, or disposition, must necessarily be inconclusive.
It remains, however, a matter of no small difficulty to
account for the remarkable variations of colour that
are to be found among different nations. On this sub-
ject Dr Hunter has published a thesis, in which he
considers the matter more accurately than has com-
monly been done, and determines absolutely against
any specific difference among mankind. He introduces
his subject by observing, that when the question has
been agitated, whether all the human race constituted
only one species or not, much confusion has arisen from
the sense in which the term species has been adopted.
He therefore thinks it necessary to set out with a defi-
nition of the term. He includes under the same spe-
cies all those animals which produce issue capable of
propagating others resembling the original stock from
whence they sprung. This definition he illustrates by
having recourse to the human species as an example.
And in this sense of the term he concludes, that all of
them are to be considered as belonging to the same
species. And as, in the case of plants, one species
comprehends several varieties depending upon climate,
soil, culture, and similar accidents; so he considers the
diversities of the human race to be merely varieties of
the same species, produced by natural causes. Of the
different colours observable among mankind, he gives
the following view: