Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-09-15
Marrying Cousins.

The Fortnightly Review contains an
article by Mr.. George Darwin, on Mar
rlages Between First Cousins" giving
the results of some researches he has
recently made among the frst-cousin
marriages Of the upper classes of Eng.
land. There are incidentally brought
out some statistics worth repeating such
as that in every seventy-nine marriages
in England one is Smith; in seventy.
six a Jones: in one hundred and fifteen,
q Williams; in one hundred and forty
eight, a Taylor; in one hundred and
sixty-eight, Davis; in one hundred and
seventysfour, Q Brown; in Eve hundred
and twenty-nine, Grifiths. In fact 1t
is upon these proportions Of fifty of the
commonest names he bases all his sue,
ceeding calculations. Having found ten
per cent of marriages between the peo-
pie OF the same names, he determines
what per cent. are marriages between
first cousins, and again what proportion
these bear to those between first cousins
of different names. His investigations
he confines to Burke's Peerage, and
the landed gentry of England and Ire.
land, and discovers fifty seven per cent.
of same name frst-cousin marriages
which is his first factor. His second he
secures through circulars mailed to the
same classes, provided with blanks to be
filled, taking care to ayoja reaeiVlBg the
same information through different
channels; aud though the statistics
he receives maniiestly must have been
incomplete, he feels warranted in taking
two and three-fourths per cent. as the
proportion of different name first-cousin
marriages. From these he determines
that the proportion Of flrst-cousin mar
riages to all other marriages is four and
oDe;half per cent, per centage slightly
increased among the upper class and
lowered among the common people.
He then proceeded to the asylum to dis
cover whether such marriages aye inju,
rlous.
In this inquiry he seems to have been
very ably seconded by the physicians,
but his table of observations appended
are not very satisfactory. The testimony
of the physicians varies, but preponder-
ates against the popular belief Dr.
Howden goes so far as to say; Neither
in insanity nor 10 any abnormal propen.
sity do two plus two make four; there is
always another factor at work neutraliz-
ing intensi6cation and bringing things
back to the normal" On the other
hand, DR.. Crichton Brown says that two
plus two make more than four, and that
even persona Of siMiisr temperamsnts
should not marry. The investigation.
Mr.. Darwin thinks showed that in luna
tic and idiot asylums, probably between
three and four per cent Of the patients
are the children of first cousins, and in
the case Of deaf mgtes theFp ia 40 evil
dence that the percentage Is any greater
than that of the general population
Concerning the death rate Of the chill
dren OF first marriages, Mr.. Darwin
turned again 10 the "Peeragen and in a
careful examination Of thirty-seven fam
lies, too small q total upon which 10
base satisfactory statistics, there re-
mained but the shadow of evidence that
the phildren Of first sousip marriages
possess slightly loYefed vitality, which
under favorable conditions would show
no i'll effects This, he says, is in ac.
cordance with his fathers experiments
with inbred plants, which suffer no de-
terordion when allowed plenty Of good
soil aud room, but perish or baoome