Measuring Bodies Summary and Analysis

The nineteenth century was the time of the theory of evolution. This theory had many effects on though, especially in the life sciences. The field of life sciences was redefined during this period. All kinds of people could use brain sizes to make their statements about various groups and tie it into evolution. Other theories came into being because of the theory of evolution. Gould considers two of these categories in this chapter. The first is called recapitulation and the second looks at a biological basis for criminal behavior.

Recapitulation is the theory based on tracing mankind back to the apes as they tried to construct a tree of life. "Recapitulation also provided an irresistible criterion for any scientist who wanted to rank human groups as higher and lower. The adults of inferior groups must be like children of...