International African Institute

Good out of Africa by A. T. CulwickReview by: M. M. GreenAfrica: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct., 1943), pp. 223-224Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1156493 .

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REVIEWS OF BOOKS 223 similar features. Incidentally he treats the alleged offensive odour of the Negro with the contempt this legend deserves and dryly sums up the matter by observing that' the offensive odors which Negroes and whites attribute to each other are probably stenches arising from unclean bodies and the result of bacterial decomposition' (p. 94).

Proceeding to a discussion of the medical diseases of Negroes Dr. Lewis sums up the evidence hitherto available. He finds that, to take one disease only, tuberculosis is far more serious than it is in white people, the Negro mortality being perhaps five times that of the Whites. Although this rate may in part be due to environmental conditions there seems little doubt that the disease affects Negroes more seriously. The same may be said of whooping cough, whilst among skin diseases some dermatoses are more common in Negroes and some among Whites. Thus psoriasis is comparatively common among Whites and rare among Negroes; whilst dermatosa papulosa nigra is common among Negroes and apparently hardly known among Whites.

It is to be hoped that now Dr. Lewis has pointed the way others may be persuaded to follow his lead and to pay fuller attention to what he calls the problem of' anthropathology'. Post-war medical co-operation may assist the process, and thus in the next hundred years we may expect to learn much more about the relation of physical types to pathological, psychological, and even to social traits with their influence on criminal trends and inherited dispositions. Dr. Lewis is to be congratulated on his effort to stimulate research in this direction and the University of Chicago for making his results known to present and future students. E. J. DINGWALL

Good out of Africa. By A. T. CULWICK. Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, No. 8. Rhodes-

Livingstone Institute I942. Pp. 43. 2z.

THIS latest addition to the admirable series of Rhodes-Livingstone papers breaks some- what different ground from that of its predecessors. Its main thesis is that the moral values of European civilization are not necessarily those best suited to the needs of Bantu Africa. While not denying the possibility of an absolute morality the author denies that finite minds can apprehend the absolute. If, therefore, moral theories are to be anything more than opinions they need an objective criterion based on experience. ' The African agrees with the European that there is such a thing as moral good, and " having moral value " means in Africa as elsewhere " being morally good ". It is a judgment of worth, but unless we have some way of relating it to experience it remains merely a matter of somebody's opinion.' (p. 4.)

To escape from this dilemma the author suggests that the moral values of a particular society are to be judged by their survival value in that society. This is an ethical and philosophical problem which soars far beyond the confines of this review. But it may perhaps be suggested that if' survival value' is being used in a strictly scientific sense it refers to a different order of facts from those to which moral value refers and that one order cannot be used as a measuring rod for the other. If, on the other hand, the term ' survival value ' is stretched, as the author stretches it, one can hardly see its use as a practical guide to morals which is what the author wishes it to be. ' We are now in a position to define our use of the term survival value. Survival means primarily biological survival during the continuance in the world of conditions permitting life, for we are not concerned with religious ideas of the eternal survival of the individual. But with the idea of survival is linked that of evolution or growth, so that by survival value in a sociological context we imply the judgment of an institution (e.g. the family) or a custom (e.g. monogamy) by its general tendency to promote or hinder the growth of the society in question. The mere possibility of existence in any condition, e.g. misery or a crippled state, is not sufficient. By growth we mean physical development and intellectual growth in so far as it increases

REVIEWS OF BOOKS 223 similar features. Incidentally he treats the alleged offensive odour of the Negro with the contempt this legend deserves and dryly sums up the matter by observing that' the offensive odors which Negroes and whites attribute to each other are probably stenches arising from unclean bodies and the result of bacterial decomposition' (p. 94).

Proceeding to a discussion of the medical diseases of Negroes Dr. Lewis sums up the evidence hitherto available. He finds that, to take one disease only, tuberculosis is far more serious than it is in white people, the Negro mortality being perhaps five times that of the Whites. Although this rate may in part be due to environmental conditions there seems little doubt that the disease affects Negroes more seriously. The same may be said of whooping cough, whilst among skin diseases some dermatoses are more common in Negroes and some among Whites. Thus psoriasis is comparatively common among Whites and rare among Negroes; whilst dermatosa papulosa nigra is common among Negroes and apparently hardly known among Whites.

It is to be hoped that now Dr. Lewis has pointed the way others may be persuaded to follow his lead and to pay fuller attention to what he calls the problem of' anthropathology'. Post-war medical co-operation may assist the process, and thus in the next hundred years we may expect to learn much more about the relation of physical types to pathological, psychological, and even to social traits with their influence on criminal trends and inherited dispositions. Dr. Lewis is to be congratulated on his effort to stimulate research in this direction and the University of Chicago for making his results known to present and future students. E. J. DINGWALL

Good out of Africa. By A. T. CULWICK. Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, No. 8. Rhodes-

Livingstone Institute I942. Pp. 43. 2z.

THIS latest addition to the admirable series of Rhodes-Livingstone papers breaks some- what different ground from that of its predecessors. Its main thesis is that the moral values of European civilization are not necessarily those best suited to the needs of Bantu Africa. While not denying the possibility of an absolute morality the author denies that finite minds can apprehend the absolute. If, therefore, moral theories are to be anything more than opinions they need an objective criterion based on experience. ' The African agrees with the European that there is such a thing as moral good, and " having moral value " means in Africa as elsewhere " being morally good ". It is a judgment of worth, but unless we have some way of relating it to experience it remains merely a matter of somebody's opinion.' (p. 4.)

To escape from this dilemma the author suggests that the moral values of a particular society are to be judged by their survival value in that society. This is an ethical and philosophical problem which soars far beyond the confines of this review. But it may perhaps be suggested that if' survival value' is being used in a strictly scientific sense it refers to a different order of facts from those to which moral value refers and that one order cannot be used as a measuring rod for the other. If, on the other hand, the term ' survival value ' is stretched, as the author stretches it, one can hardly see its use as a practical guide to morals which is what the author wishes it to be. ' We are now in a position to define our use of the term survival value. Survival means primarily biological survival during the continuance in the world of conditions permitting life, for we are not concerned with religious ideas of the eternal survival of the individual. But with the idea of survival is linked that of evolution or growth, so that by survival value in a sociological context we imply the judgment of an institution (e.g. the family) or a custom (e.g. monogamy) by its general tendency to promote or hinder the growth of the society in question. The mere possibility of existence in any condition, e.g. misery or a crippled state, is not sufficient. By growth we mean physical development and intellectual growth in so far as it increases

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 14:10:46 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

man's control over his environment. This is not, indeed, to deny the possibility of the same laws of life extending into the spiritual sphere, but is a necessary reservation to ensure that neither more nor less is read into what follows than is actually intended.' (p. .) If to this is added the note on p. 20 which still further enlarges the scope of survival value one feels that it is hardly a handy guide to the applicability of this or that moral code to this or that

particular society. To say nothing of the door to Nazi or Fascist or other such doctrines which any utilitarian theory of morals leaves open.

But this does not alter the fact that the author, when he leaves first principles and discusses the specific problems of Bantu society in conflict with European ideals, has many interesting things to say and raises questions that are crying out for clear thinking. In the same way, when he leaves behind his excursion into theology, his plea for intelligent religion and for the joint advance of the highest kind of Christianity and of scientific knowledge is wholly admirable. ' The obligation to be intelligent is itself a moral obligation,' he quotes from a

padre. As a slogan for Europeans in Africa it is worth considering. After three very general chapters the author turns to consider particularly the economic

and social sanctions in Bantu tribal life which ensure a certain level of behaviour from individuals. Here he is on ground well known to him and among a number of interesting points he stresses the need for education in terms of a wider society than the old tribal one, and urges that Africans be taught the customs of tribes different from their own. He goes on to discuss family relations and particularly those features of Bantu marriage and of

polygyny in general which conflict with European conceptions and are a source of difficulty in present conditions.

The paper ends with a plea, which will find many echoes, for increased knowledge about Africa. ' Scanty data are the parents of illegitimate conclusions', it points out. And further: ' The crying need of Africa today is more and still more research into both the physical and the social environment. But it is not enough that the scientist's results should remain the property of scientists alone. They do not constitute public opinion, though they could influence it greatly if they cared. It is the man in the street who counts, the farmer, the business man, the professional man, the artisan. Only in greater knowledge and, what is so important, in its dissemination amongst all classes can I see anything but a dismal future for Bantu and African alike.' (p. 42.)

The paper is so outspoken that it will certainly provoke discussion and probably invite criticism. So much the better. Thought will have been stimulated where it is greatly needed. M. M. GREEN

The Diary of a District Officer. By KENNETH BRADLEY. London: Harrap. I942. 5s. A NUMBER of people in England want to know what a District Officer does in Africa,

whether they are his friends and relations, his critics in Parliament, or anthropologists studying Native administration. This little book in Mr. Bradley's easy style gives true-to- life sketches of the District Officer on tour in ' the bush '. You go round with him by car, bicycle, or on foot; you get to know his cook, his messengers, his dog, and you meet, in his company, the people of the crowded reserves in the Eastern Province of Northern Rhodesia. It is admittedly a diary and not a serious study of the people. The student of Native administration will not therefore be able to build up on the details suggested a case for or against Indirect Rule. He will, however, get an inkling perhaps of why it works better in some tribes than in others, and of some of the complicated problems created by the

overcrowding in the none too fertile reserves. He will get, too, some idea of the many tasks now devolving on the African chiefs, who must add a number of welfare measures, such as encouraging cattle-dipping and preventing erosion, to their traditional work for their people.

man's control over his environment. This is not, indeed, to deny the possibility of the same laws of life extending into the spiritual sphere, but is a necessary reservation to ensure that neither more nor less is read into what follows than is actually intended.' (p. .) If to this is added the note on p. 20 which still further enlarges the scope of survival value one feels that it is hardly a handy guide to the applicability of this or that moral code to this or that

particular society. To say nothing of the door to Nazi or Fascist or other such doctrines which any utilitarian theory of morals leaves open.

But this does not alter the fact that the author, when he leaves first principles and discusses the specific problems of Bantu society in conflict with European ideals, has many interesting things to say and raises questions that are crying out for clear thinking. In the same way, when he leaves behind his excursion into theology, his plea for intelligent religion and for the joint advance of the highest kind of Christianity and of scientific knowledge is wholly admirable. ' The obligation to be intelligent is itself a moral obligation,' he quotes from a

padre. As a slogan for Europeans in Africa it is worth considering. After three very general chapters the author turns to consider particularly the economic

and social sanctions in Bantu tribal life which ensure a certain level of behaviour from individuals. Here he is on ground well known to him and among a number of interesting points he stresses the need for education in terms of a wider society than the old tribal one, and urges that Africans be taught the customs of tribes different from their own. He goes on to discuss family relations and particularly those features of Bantu marriage and of

polygyny in general which conflict with European conceptions and are a source of difficulty in present conditions.

The paper ends with a plea, which will find many echoes, for increased knowledge about Africa. ' Scanty data are the parents of illegitimate conclusions', it points out. And further: ' The crying need of Africa today is more and still more research into both the physical and the social environment. But it is not enough that the scientist's results should remain the property of scientists alone. They do not constitute public opinion, though they could influence it greatly if they cared. It is the man in the street who counts, the farmer, the business man, the professional man, the artisan. Only in greater knowledge and, what is so important, in its dissemination amongst all classes can I see anything but a dismal future for Bantu and African alike.' (p. 42.)

The paper is so outspoken that it will certainly provoke discussion and probably invite criticism. So much the better. Thought will have been stimulated where it is greatly needed. M. M. GREEN

The Diary of a District Officer. By KENNETH BRADLEY. London: Harrap. I942. 5s. A NUMBER of people in England want to know what a District Officer does in Africa,

whether they are his friends and relations, his critics in Parliament, or anthropologists studying Native administration. This little book in Mr. Bradley's easy style gives true-to- life sketches of the District Officer on tour in ' the bush '. You go round with him by car, bicycle, or on foot; you get to know his cook, his messengers, his dog, and you meet, in his company, the people of the crowded reserves in the Eastern Province of Northern Rhodesia. It is admittedly a diary and not a serious study of the people. The student of Native administration will not therefore be able to build up on the details suggested a case for or against Indirect Rule. He will, however, get an inkling perhaps of why it works better in some tribes than in others, and of some of the complicated problems created by the

overcrowding in the none too fertile reserves. He will get, too, some idea of the many tasks now devolving on the African chiefs, who must add a number of welfare measures, such as encouraging cattle-dipping and preventing erosion, to their traditional work for their people.

REVIEWS OF BOOKS REVIEWS OF BOOKS 224 224

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 14:10:46 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions