ALBINO, a term which appears to have been first employed by the Portuguese, to designate a variety of the human species that occurs among the negroes, the peculiarity of which consists in the hair and skin being perfectly white, while, in every circumstance except colour, these persons exactly resemble the other natives of Africa. We are informed by Wafer, who accompanied Dampier in his voyage round the world, that the same variety is occasionally found among the Indians who inhabit the isthmus of Darien : and Albinos are also described as occurring among the natives of Java and Ceylon. The skin of the Albino is, as the name imports, literally white, approaching to the colour of milk, or to that of a recently dead body, without that intermixture of red which is found in the complexion of the European. Another peculiarity of the Albinos is the state of the eye, which is so sensible to light that they are scarcely able to keep it open in the sunshine ; although in the shade, or in the dark of the evening, their vision seems to be sufficiently perfect. In different parts of Africa and America, the Albinos are so numerous, that some persons have imagined them to be a distinct race of men, who have been accidentally removed from their original climate, and intermixed with the negroes. But the opinion which on every account seems more probable is, that this peculiar colour of the skin depends upon a morbid condition of the body, induced by some cause hitherto undiscovered. The proof of this is indeed complete, for Albinos are known to be born from parents whose skin has nothing unusual in its appearance, Individuals are occasionally observed in our quarter of the world to whom the title of Albino is applied. and who possess nearly the same relation to the European that the African Albino does to his countrymen. The European Albino has nothing peculiar in his features, or in the formation of his body ; but his skin is of the most delicate hue, his hair is white and silky, the coloured part of the eye is of a beautiful pink colour ; and, like the African Albinos, they are unable to bear a bright light. The skin of the European Albino does not, however, ex hibit that perfect whiteness which is described in the African ; nor does it appear that he has necessarily any general weakness of constitution, or deficiency of strength. It has been observed, that males are the most frequent subjects of this disease, if it may be so call ed; and some writers have gone so far as to assert, that it is exclusively confined to them. But this opinion is cer tainly incorrect ; as there arc some well known instances of female Albinos, although it is not improbable that the males may be more numerous.
Many attempts have. been made to account for this peculiarity. Buffon attributes it to a tendency in the human spccics to assume, what he calls " the primitive colour of nature ; which climate, nourishment, and man ners, alter and change to yellow, brown, or black ; and which reappears in certain circumstances, but with so great an alteration, that it does not resemble the primi tive white. As a proof that Albinos are " individuals who are degenerated from their species," he remarks, that they are uniformly deficient in strength and vigour, and exhibit every mark of a relaxed and debilitated con stitution. He farther observes, that white animals, par
ticularly those that have red eyes, are more weak and delicate than others of the same species. We have a very accurate account given by Saussure of two Albinos that were born at Chamouin in Switzerland. These young men had the white skin and hair, and the rose coloured eye ; their sight was delicate ; and they seem to have been unable to go through the same degree of labour with those persons of the same age and condition in life. Saussure, like Buffo!), considers this affection as a kind of organic weakness of the body; and supposes that the eye has its vessels so relaxed, as to permit the red globules of the blood to enter into it in an unusual quantity. These, however, are but hasty hypotheses, and cannot be considered as throw lug any real light upon the subject. It is to an ingenious conjecture of professor Blumenbach that we owe our knowledge of the peculiarity in the eye of the Albino. Ile ascribed its pink colour, and its delicate sensibility, to the absence of the pigmentum nigrum, a black mucous substance which is spread over the iris and choroid coat. This conjecture was verified by Buzzi of Milan, who had an opportunity of dissecting the eye of an Albino, and found it to correspond with Blumenbach's supposition. He at the same time examined the skin, and discovered that it was devoid of that part which is usually called the Fete mucosum ; and to the absence of this substance he justly attributes its whiteness. There is reason to con clude, that the peculiar state of the skin which charac terizes the Albino, is an affection which has a tendency to become hereditary ; for among the instances which are upon record, several have been members of the same family. What it is in the constitution or habits of the parent, which gives rise to this peculiarity in their offspring, is totally unknown. Albinos have been horn in different countries and climates, and under circum stances which have no point of resemblance to which we can with any probability refer the phenomenon. The knowledge which we possess respecting the animal economy, does not enable us to form the most remote conjecture concerning the operation of any cause, which should so far affect the skin, as to deprive it of its rete mucosum ; but it is analogous to other facts which fall under our observation, that when this structure has once taken place, it should be propagated by hereditary de scent.
The circumstances which have been ascertained re specting the Albino, decidedly prove, that the various shades of the complexion, which characterize the inha bitants of different climates, depend upon the colour of the vete mucosum, and that without it the shin is nearh white. They also admirably illustrate the use of the pigmentum nigruni ol the eye, by showing the incon venience under which those persons labour who arc unprovidcd with that substance. See Phil. Trans. 1706, 1707, vol. xxv. Soiimmering Icfmrs Oculi Ilumani. p. 6. Buffon's Hist. Aitt.toni. iii. Saussure's Voyalps clans lea Allies, ch. 47. Nicholson's Journal, vol. six. p. 8! • vol. xxi. 203. Dapper's Descriptirm (I•l'..4.Thque,p. 332. Sec also ANATomy chap. ii. p. 792, col. 2. (%)