Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-08-23
MARRIAGE OF BLoon,sEIAr1oNs

Much has been said of late years On
the subject Of the marriages of near re-
l%ations to each other, and a very impos-
ing body Of facts has been collected;
serving to show the deterioration, both
mentally and physically, of the offspring
of these intermarriages. The soundness
Of such = conclusion would seem to be
further shown from analogy, in the ne
cessity Of obtaining fresh seed again
from a distance, as that on the farm
becomes of an inferior quality if sown
for a succession of years without such
renewal. 1t is also well known to those
who are largely engaged in the raising
of farm stock that cattle degenerate in
size and other qualitiss-the cows Civ
ing less milk, and that Of inferior quail
ity-ifthe animals are allowed to "breed
in and in" and not crossed with another
and superior stock.
II must be said, however, that this
view of the subject has never obtained
universal ~credence, and among its OPP
posers we find just now the eminent
name Of voisin, physician to the Bice-
tire, or Hospital for Insane men, near
Paris. This gentleman, as we learn
from the American Journal Of the Medical
Sciences, has written q paper entitled
IA Contribution to the History Of Mar
riages between Blood Relations" which
appears in the memoirs of the Authro-
biological Society. In order to collect a
series of facts bearing upon the subject,
be took up his residence during one
month in the year 1864 in the village of
BATE, a place where marriages among
relations are of common occurrence
His Investigations were extended to the
topography, population, pecuniary con-
dition and occupation of the Inhabitants,
their customs, their health, the duration
of their lives, their grade of intelligsnce,
Instruction, morality and religious de-
pertinent. As there is at least one case
of marriage of uncle and niece in this
county, we deem it Of somewhat pecu-
liar interest to notice DR.. Voisin's work.
In the case Of what we call incest in
Virginia city, n child has been borne,
but died within a month Of nativity.
Accurate information was obtained by
DR.. yoisiu of the results of forty-six
marriages, Eve of which were between
cousins german, shirty-oue between Sec
ond cousins, aud ten between those of
the fourth degree of consequently,
leaving but the question of numerous
marriages among relations of the fifth
and sixth degrees, of which latter rela-
tionship hs found to be the greater num-
Der Of the married couples in the village.
The general result obtained from these
inquiries was, that in the community Of
BATE, marriages between blood relations
exerted no injurious influence on the
children born Of such marriages; that
among these children there existed no
malformation, no mental disorders, no
idioey, c%retinism, congenital deafness,
epilepsy or albinism. Scrofula existed
in only n young girl. Sterility is al
most unknown. Two only Of the forty
six pair related to each other in the
third degree of consanguinity were
childless. OF the remaining forty-four
couples the offspring amounted in all to
one hundred and seveuty-four. Most
of the children evince an intelligence
beyond that commonly met with at their
age. They are of a lively and cheerful
disposition, and ready in acquiring
knowledge. The inhabitants Of Bate
are long lived, preserving to the last a
good degree of bodily vigor and mental
power.
DR.. Voisin, not stopping midway in
his conclusions, believes, as the result
of his study Of the subject, that mar
risges Of consequently are in no degree
injurious to the children born Of them,
provided that the father and mother are
free from any special morbid constitu-
ton or from any hereditary disease, and
enjoy good health and robust constitu-
tons, and are placed under favorable
conditions, climatic and hygienic. The
author goes even so far as to assert that,
under these circumstances, the marri-
ages of cousins do not in any way cause
injury to the offspring, but, on the con-
trary, place them in a higher condition.
We have not room to argue the ques-
ton, but we would remark that, with
all the hygienic postulates asked for by
DR.. Voisin on the side of close relations
who intermarry, We can readily suppose
that tho children Of these parents would
be able to bear up successfully against
this single inherited evil, admitting it
to be such. If every community be
searched for the results of these inter-
marriages as relates to the children,
they will not sustain DR.. voisin's opiu-
ion, but, On the contrary, will exhibit
many melancholy features of physical
and mental weakness and deterioration.
THrY PRorrsr BkcKwARDs.-W Where
are the Manhood Sufrageites, who late
ly, TO render their position more eI-
plicit,) hurrshed for "Anti-Coolie de-
~fsats," so called? Alas they are now
hsrrinr off on q definition that exposes