The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-11-07
Inheritable characteristics.

Heredity is especially noticeable in
the continuity of physiological and
| pathological conditions. It is very
| clearly evident in the expression and
| features of the physiognomy. This was
observered by the ancients; hence the
| Romans had their MasOnes, Labeones,
Buccones, Capitones, etc. (Big-nosed,
Thick-lipped, Swollen-cheeked, Big
headed.) OF all the features, probably
the nose is best preserved by heredity.
| The Bourbon nose is famous. Hereditv
also manifests itself by fecundity and
longevity. In the old French noblesse
| there we're several families which DO
ssessed high provocative vigor. Anne
| de MontmOrency, who, at the age of
over sixty-five years, could still, at the
| battle of st. Denis, smash with his
| sword the teeth of Scotch soldier who
was giving him the death blow, was the
| father of twelve children. Three of his
| ancestors, Matthew l., Matthew II. and
| Matthew I'LL, taken altogether, had
| eighteen, and of those fifteen were boys
The son and grandson of the great
| COnde had nineteen between them, and
| their great-grandfather who lost his
/ life at Jarnac, had ten. The first four
| Guises reckoned in all forty-three chill
! dren, of whom thirty were boys. Achille
de Harley had nine children, his father
| ten, and his great-grandfather eighteen.
In some families this fecundity endured
through five or six generations. The
average length of life depends on local
ity, diet, stage of civilization, but indi-
vidual longevity appears to be COM
pletely freed from these conditions. 1t
is observed among those who lead the
most laborious lives, as well as among
those who take the greatest care of their
health, and it seems to be connected
with some inner power of vitality trans
mitted to individuals from their fore
fathers. So we'll known is this fact that,
in England, life assurance companies
receive from their agents statements as
to the longevity of the applicants ances-
tors. In Turgot's family, the age OF
tifty-nine was very rarely exceeded, and
the man who made that family illus
trous had presentiment, so soon rs he
had reached fifty, that the close of his
life was not distant. Albeit he had all
the appearances of good health and of
great vigor of temperament, still from
that time forward he held himself ready
for death, and, in fact, did die at the
age of fifty-three.
Heredity often transmits muscular
strength and sundry other motor activi-
ties. In ancient times there were fami-
lies of athletes, and the English have
families of boxers. The recent re-
searches of Mr.. Galton, as to wrestlers
and Oarsmen, show that the winners in
the contests in which these men engage
generally belong to a few families in
which agility and dexterity are heredi-
tary. Suppleness and grace in dancing
are transmitted, as is shown in the case
of the celebrated Vestris family. The
same is to be said with regard to various
peculiarities of voice, such as stammer-
ing, nasality and lisping. There are
several families who are naturally sing
ers. Children born of babbling parents /
are themselves babblers by birthright. !
DR.. Lucas cites the case of a servant |
maid whose loquacity knew no bounds. /
She would talk to people till they were /
ready to faint but she would also talk /
to animals and inanimate things. Even |
when she was quite alone she talked to !
herself aloud. She had to be dischar- /
ged. "But, said she TO her master, /
4" am not to blame; it all comes from /
my father. He had the same fault, and |
it drove my mother to distraction; and !
his father was just as am. Popular
Science hOnthLU.