Alfred Cort Haddon (1855-1940) was a highly influential British anthropologist and ethnologist who was instrumental in the foundation of a school of anthropology at Cambridge University. During 1898 and 1899, Haddon led an expedition which conducted ethnographical research in the Torres Strait, New Guinea, and Borneo. The results of this expedition were compiled in a series of volumes, written by various contributors. This second volume in the series is divided into two parts. Part I was published in 1901 and written almost entirely by William Halse Rivers (1864-1922), another prominent member of the expedition, and Part II, originally published in 1903, was written by the renowned psychologists Charles S. Myers (1873-1946) and William McDougall (1871-1938). Together, the parts examine the physiological and psychological aspects of vision, hearing, smell, taste, cutaneous sensations, muscular sense, blood pressure, and reaction times among the indigenous peoples of the region.

Table of Contents

Part I: Introduction W. H. R. Rivers; Vision W. H. R. Rivers; 1. Physical characters and diseases of the eyes; 2. Visual acuity; 3. Colour vision; 4. Visual spatial perception; Appendix C. G. Seligmann; Part II: 5. Hearing Charles S. Myers; 6. Smell Charles S. Myers; 7. Taste Charles S. Myers; 8. Cutaneous sensations W. McDougall; 9. Muscular sense W. McDougall; 10. Variations of blood-pressure W. McDougall; 11. Reaction-times Charles S. Myers.