Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-01-07

Mr. Francis Gallon has 10 the November
number Of Frazer's Magazine very interest
ing article, entitled the "History OF Twins
a. Criterion Of the Relative Powers of Ma
ture and Nurture The materials on which
the article were based were obtained by
sending circular containing thirteen groups
Of questions 10 twins or persons intimatel Y
acquainted with twins. Mr.. Galton dis
tinguishes three classes, those strongly alike.
moderately alike, and extremely dissimilar,
adding that when the twins are of different
sexes they are never closely alike.
In eighty reported cases of close similarity,
thirty-hye entering very fully into detail,
there TeIe q few where not single point
Of difference could be specified in the re-
ulaiuder the hair and eyes were almost al
WAYS Identical, and the height, weight and
strength generally very nearly 50. The
manner aud address are usually very simi
ar the .nt0nation when speaking common
" the same, though it frequently happens
that the twins sing in different KEYS SIN
iiaritv j. very rare IN the handwriting
Mr. tialtou cites many mistakes made by
near relatives Notwithstanding the tying
Of distinguishing ribbons 10 them one is
often fed. physicked or whipped by mistake
for the other In one case 4 doubt remains
whether the children were not changed in
their bath in another, On artist engaged
10 paint the portraits Of twins had 10 lay
aside LIS work. and when he resumed 1t
could not say 10 which child the respective
likenes-es belonged In many instances
tutors could not distinguish between their
pupils One twin sister would take two
music lessons on the same day 10 give the
other holiday Two twins were fond Of
playing tricks, and complaints were ire
4uently made but the bows would never
own which was the guilty one, and the
complainants were never certain which Of
the two he was o ne head master used 10
say he would never fog the innocent for the
guilty, and another used to dog both. One
twin brother visited another at college,
and the porter refused 10 let him out because
be did not know which was entitled to de-
part Other brothers constantly changed
partners at baAs without discovery. Child
ren are quick in Distinguishing between their
parent and his or her twin but Mr. Gal
ton found two cases to the contrary
He knows Of four or FIVE instances oi
doubt during an engagement Of marriage
Thus A married first, bat both twins
met the lady together for the first time, and
fell in love with her there and then. A. man
aged TO see her home and to gain her af-
fection, though B. went sometimes eourtipg
in his place. and neither the lady nor her
parents could tell which was which One
lady remarks that kissing her twin sister
was ike kissing a part OF herself, as her
hand, and not Ike kissing another person.
The author suggests an experiment-to try
how lar dogs could distinguish between
twins by scent. of strange mistakes be
tween twins in middle life two cases are
cited-One where an officer returned from
India after four years absence was address
ed by his father II thought you were in
London : another where an aged mother
had neryously expected the return of her
son from India, his ship being overdue, and
when he entered, said to him, mistaking
him Tor the brother who lived with her
mo, no ; its bad Joke; you know how
anxious am As a curious feature Mr..
Gallon notes the apparent Interchange
bleness. both Of expression and character.
In seven of the th;rty-ive cases of close
similarity both twins suffered from some
special ailment or had some exceptional
peculiarly. Two sisters had the defect OF
not being able TO come down stairs quickly
which was not born with them but came on
at the age of twenty Another pair of twins
have q slight congenital flexure Of one OF the
POINTS OF the little finger; it was inherited
from grandmother, but neither parents,
brothers nor sisters show the least trace OF
it. In another case one was born ruptured,
and the other became so at six months old
Two twins at the age of twenty-three were
attacked by toothaehe, and the same tooth
had to be extracted in each case.
There are curious and close correspOn-
deuees mentioned in the falling of Of the
hair Two cases are mentioned OF death
from the same disease in one brother
died ol Bright's disease. and the survivor
died of the same complaint, seven months
afterwerd In niue OF the thirty-fye cases
1t appears that both twins are apt to sicken
at the same time There are also cited the
recorded instances OF pathological resem
blarce in twin brothers afflicted with asthma
and rheumatic opthalmia (Trousseau S
"Clinique Medicale,' quoted in Darwin :
variation Under Domestication, } and in
two insane brothers Or Moreau's ''Pscho-
logic Morbide") In the latter case both
brothers considered themselves subject to
persecution bv the same enemies who adopt
ed the same means, and even when confined
in separate asylums they would at irregular
intervals Of time, but usually on the same
day. rouse themselves from their prostration
make the same complaint of detention and
desire liberation, Mr.. Gallon sent the facts
in this case to the prominent physicians to
the insane in England, asking il they had
ever witnessed anything similar, and received
in reply three noteworthy instances, though
( none as exact in their parallelism. Another
curious French case Of insanity IN twins Is
decribed by Baume in the "Annales Medi
[ co Psychologiques, 18th series. vol /, 1868
( p. Il
In eleven out Of thirty five instances simi
/ larity IA the association OF ideas ~ noted
/ They niake the same remarks on the same
ocea~,ou. begin singing the same song at the
momeut and so on or one Will commence
a sentence aud the other finish it In one
case ,re twin. who happened to be at towr
/ in Scotland, bought a set of champagne
glass; which caught bis attention, as sur
prise ior his brother, while at the same thai
brother, being in England, bought simi
/ lar set of precisely the same pattern 81 sur
/ prise Tor him.
In sixteen of thirty-fye cases the taste
| and dispositions are described as closely simi
! lar in the remaining ninteen theV wert