Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-05-24
s1JULD CC0siNy WEJ.


Prominent Physieians Deefsre Inter-Mar.
rage to bs Unwise.
The widespread prejudice against
consanguineous unions IL exceedingly |
stubborn, but certain writer's Of to-day. |
including Haeckel, have endeavored to |
show that it rests upon no well-au- |
thenticated facts. They claim that the |
misshapen and imperfect offspring Of |
such marriage is due not to the union |
OF like blood, but of like physical and |
mental tendencies. Consanguinity it. |
self. they say. plays no particular role
in the union Of individuals Of the same
stock, but it increases in the descend
ants the tendencies common to the two
progenitors- II these tendencies be
good they will be intensified In the
child, and hence the union will be ad-
vantageous- If they be bad re-en-
forcement OF unfavorable tendencies
should be suppressed by the avoidance
Of such marriages.
Yet there are on record numerous
cases OF blindness. deafness and de-
fornity in the children OF nearly re-
lated parents. Sterility sometimes re-
suits, or If children are born they NAV
be pung. feeble and spiritIess or with a
tendency to idiocy. A prominent ply
stefan has compiled statistics that show
that out of 14.257 idiots nearly IL per
cent, were children Of cousins. The
percentage of deaf and dumb children
born OF parents related by blood is only
a trifle less, and out of 1873 blind per-
sons he has found that per cent. can
| trace their defect to consanguineous
| union Insane mania il a much less
/ frequent resultant of such unions. as
out Of nearly 5000 cases examined he
hnds less than per cent due to that
cause. Among the inmates of a blind
| asylum several years ago were five
| children OF one marriage of cousins,
| all born sightiess.
Epilepsy. tuberculosis and consump-
| ton are effects not uncommon. and in
stances are on record Of the propoga-
ton of almost every known form oil
| disease through this medium. Nor ID
| 1t unusual for two or more forms OF
disease to be allieu IN one child. In
late years a girl was admitted to the
Pennsylvania Institution for Deaf and
Dumb, who. in addition to being stone
deaf aud speeches.. was horribly de-
formed Inquiry elected the fact thaf
the father and mother were cousins.
A physician who had made "a clos.
study of the subject said that he haf
often observed in the cases Of offsprin:
OF cousanguineous unions where actua
disease was absent tendency to awk
wardness and dullness Children werp
apt to be understood, with fat, stuoby
| short-fngered hands and il!-develope.
limbs. Though children with fin
forms and brilliant inteIleets often fol
lowed these marriages he believed the
were exceptional, and that the mar
riage of cousins was fraught wit
great danger. Their offspring was liza
de to be endowed with mental. phys
ical am. -~~ral deformity.
The best evidence If the evil effect
of the nsermarriage of XIII. said
leading gynecologist, is to be had .
a glance at the royal families of Er
rope. One can not doubt that there
a tendency to deterioration when h
, considers the unfortunate house {
| Hapsburg and remembers that til
| King OF Bavaria is in a mad houst
that the present Emperor of German
= is victim tic tuberculosis. and that hi
| fathers disease was due in part to tn
j, | poison of the intermixed blood of tn
Hohenzollerns. Siekly and imhecil
| Princes have for centuries bore witue.
: to the danger that lies in the union
cousins. A careful observer of animal
4 will note the same tendency to degel
: eracy. The lion and the ioness
: at the Zoo have repeatedly borne clef
tongued cubs. Not one of their hume
i Gus progeny have been exempt fro
4 this defect. and | feel confident that tt
: parent lions are brother and sister. an
: that in that fact lies the cause Of Il
. invariably imperfect offspring"
i Dr. Chaplin, superintendent of Kirl
) brides Insane Asylum. believes TIL
"a actual insanity very rarely follows
: an effect of marriage of near ki
+ Idioey and imbecility. he says. fr
n quently result, and the patient may
"a afflicted with mauiacal paroxysms b
"a he has never known a case OF actu
insanity that was di.eetly traeeabie
"a this cause.-Philadelphia Record.