hen we consider that until very recent times idiots were looked upon with a kind of superstitious awe, and the affliction was supposed to be a curse of God. F

rriage, but not so frequently as idiocy, since its occurrence lat

degrees, from the complete absence of intellectual faculties to a condition of mere irresponsibility in which the subject is capable of self-help, and sometimes of self-support under the careful guidance of ot

phase of insanity known as dementia-a reversion to the original mental state of childhood-in reality a form of second childhood. But the states are not identical, although one may lapse in

r 65.45 per cent resulted from causes acting before birth, including 1030 or 25.43 per cent with a family history of idiocy and imbecility, and 529 more (13.06 per cent) with a family history of insanity, epilepsy and minor neuroses. Dr. Barr gives many instances illustrati

onging to another town, and not then a pauper, to marry her, and the result has been that the town to w

factor such as scarletina, meningitis or other acute disease attacks the weak spot. This possibility suggests that the influence of heredity may be vastly greater th

they have no comprehension. Dr. Barr tells of cases of prodigies, musical, mathematical and mechanical, who except in their specialty were almost totally deficient mentally.[63] Many of the world's most brilliant musicians, mathematicians a

morbidity is inherited through both parents it appears more frequently and in a more marked degree than where one parent is entirely free from taint. This is what occurs when a consanguineous marriage takes place b

ne case that can be attributed to consanguinity alone. To quote: "Two were the result of incestuous connection-one of brother and sister, the other of father and daughter, and in the others there was an undoubted history, of grave neuroses."[64]

ut of 852 or 5.4 per cent to be children of first cousins.[67] Dr. Grabham of the Earlswood Idiot Asylum in Surrey, England, stated that 53 out of 1388 patients were the offspring of first cousins. The

posed, that consanguinity was the cause of the disasters. He adds that in each case one or both of the parents were either intemperate or scrofulous, and that there were also other predisposing causes.[70] Dr. Bemiss found that 7.8 per cent of his 3942 children of consanguineous marriages were idiots, while but 0.7 per cent of the children of non-consanguineous parentage were idiotic.[71] A more detailed examination reveals the fact that in a large number of these, one or both of the parents were mentally defective. For example, in a marriage of double cousins the wife was "feeble minded" and the six children were of inferio

tally defective-10 are reported as "idiots," 13 as "weak-minded" and 3 as "imbeciles." In at least five of these cases there

oduction of mental disorders. Tables XX and XXI set forth the most important results of his work. Mayet considers a case hereditary i

LE

. Percentage

sanity 102,0

s parentage 6

usins 595

e and niece

Insanity 22,9

us parentage

ousins 87

e and niece

Insanity 14,0

us parentage

ousins 70

e and niece

and Idiocy 16,

s parentage 2

usins 211

e and niece

ousin" in both these tables probably means first cousins. It will be remembered that Prussian statistics of consanguine

E XX

ental Defectiv

s. Cousins. U

simple) 6.5[A

ry 14.2

ditary 3

c Insanity

ry 11.1

ditary 2

c Insanity

ry 11.7

ditary 3

Imbecility 1

ry 21.6

itary 11.

er th

umber of hereditary cases should be relatively smaller among the idiotic. Since insanity is more likely to have some more definitely assig

described: "He was sometimes subject to depression of spirits; and some peculiar traits of character in a few branches of his family seem to have originated with him." He married A.C., a niece of his mother. They both lived to be over 80 and had ten children, of whom three were insane; only six married, and of these only two are known to have left surviving children. One of these a daughter, S.S., married E.S., a nephew of her father, and himself the offspring of a second cousin marri