"The Coming Race", Chapter XV, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Phrenology!! WHEEE!!! *cough*

Regarding the "bath charged with Vril", we get this footnote from the author: I once tried the effect of the vril bath. It was very similar in its invigorating powers to that of the baths at Gastein, the virtues of which are ascribed by many physicians to electricity; but though similar, the effect of the vril bath was more lasting.

Lyell's "Elements of Geology": a real book, published in 1838, by Charles Lyell, a Scottish geologist and associate of Charles Darwin.

amativeness: the arousal of feelings of sexual desire

philoprogenitiveness: of, relating to, or characterized by love of offspring

vituperation: bitter and abusive language

The picture used is a chart showing the basic elements of phrenology, physiognomy and palmistry, with diagrams of heads and hands, and portraits of historical figures. Lithograph, late 19th century.

This file comes from Wellcome Images, a website operated by Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom. Library reference: ICV No 9771; Photo number: V0009525

Used here under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en).

To follow along: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1951/1951-h/1951-h.htm#link2HCH0015