The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-09
A STUDY IN HEREDITY.
Results of tho Union of stupid Race with
One Brilliant, but Tainted.

Oho ohhihiha, pot
Horedity is conspicuous feature in the
theory OF criminal anthropulogy held by
the school OF which Lombroso is tho lead
er, and Lombrosos Arohivio dl Psichiatria
contains In recent issue an article illus
trating 1t. 1t is story 10y Renieri di
Rocchi Of threo generations OF an Italian
family. d., whose family since the early
years Of tho sixteenth century had pro-
duccd only commonplace men and women,
married U., whose ancestors, immediate
and remote. had been brilliant men and
women, with hero and there q physical
taint that often took tho form Of ophthal-
mia and of a degeneration affecting the
skin, while others had exhibited psyche
ethical anomalies. ID. was normal and
undistinguishod, like all his recent ances.
tors, and was manifestly the inferior of
his wife. Sne Inherited tho brilliancy of
her race, gathered about her an intellec-
tual society and sometimes wrote verse.
Her letters to ID. were clever and charm
ing, though not marked with strong evi-
dences of affection. ID. 's chief defect as a
husband was a certain inflrmlty of temper,
marked by occasional outbursts of anger.
Six children were born TO this pair.
One son showed great brilliancy and fond
ness for study, so that bo promised to
make n name in tho world Of science or of
letters, but ho was carly overtaken by
blindness through the inherited taint, and
ho died Mt GO undistinguishcd. The Sec
ond was n "mattoid. in tho language of
Lombroso and bis school. Ho was clever,
but utterly =4liiAeat application Satire
poetry was bis passion. He took 10 drink
end Ca play, thus exhibiting the psyche
ethical taint Of his mothers family, and
died at 90 from tho result OF ovorindul-
genco In the course Of too rapid life. Tho
father iufl-mity Of temper took with this
child the form ~ marked impulsiveness.
The tb!rt cliiid, q daughter, was distin-
guishcd for oztvciIo scnSibility and sweet
moss uf character She was affeotlonatc,
charitable and solf sacrificing. She lost
her husband and her daughter, however,
within u month and bocamp n mad hypo-
chondrlac thus exhibiting the mental
ta!nt Of tho moihor's family. Two other
daughters Inherited tho fathcr's normal
character aud apparently not his innrmity
OF temper, as they arc dismissed with
line. Tho sixth child, u boy, Inherited
traits OF both parents In n marked degree.
llo was warmly a1cotionato aud his
moral sonsc was highly developed; but,
like tho father, ho was irasciblc and at
times driven To exhibitions Of great anger
by triles. Ilo developed palpitation Of the
heart toward 30. The inherited literary
bort OF tho mothers family took In him
tho form Of graphomania. Ho married an
unusually sweet natured woman, not Of
Italian blood, and died at 40, leaving n
son and n daughter of tender years.
Here began tho third generation. The
daughter was n girl of rare intellectual
gifts and amazing confidence I'm her own
Judgment. Premature old age overlook
her at 90. She, too, was gruphomaniac,
and before she was 25 years old sho had
written many romaDces, for tic most part
polltico religious. She wrote with no wish
for fame, but merely TO put into words her
opinions and conceptions Of life. She re
fused indeed % seek n publisher FOR her
writings. The brother, before reaching
the age Of rs, had written many romanccs,
dramas, poems and sOctUt0gtrat studies.
He. too. was grnphomariac, and he Jb-
lishod nothing save n few occasional poems.
or four others I'm tie third generation one
was gifted, hut hc became n drunkard.
second showed no marked anomaly. aud n
third was unlntclllRent and abnormal
Thus tl. na-ringc of d., the scion of a
normal and stupid race. with the brilliant
but tainted L.. gave Co tho world "A strange
succession of brilliant eccentricS hypo-
cbondrincs mattoids and drunkards.