60 THE TREND OF THE RACE 



parent as one who becomes insane at a later age. The parents, 

 therefore, would constitute a group selected on the basis of age. 

 More detailed criticism of "antedating" was made by Heron 

 (Biometrica, 10, p. 356) who showed that Mott's data made no 

 allowance for the probability that many of the normal siblings of 

 the insane offspring of insane parents might subsequently develop 

 insanity. Also the fact that parents and offspring who happen 

 to be insane at nearly the same time would be apt to be in the 

 same asylum introduces a third source of error, because in such a 

 case we should be apt to find insanity developing late in the par- 

 ents and early in the offspring. Considering all these statistical 

 fallacies involved, the principle of anticipation cannot present 

 much claim to acceptance. It would indeed be unfortunate if 

 advice concerning marriage should be given on the basis of so 

 questionable a generalization. 



SHOULD STRENGTH MATE WITH WEAKNESS? 



In Bulletin No. 9 of the Eugenics Record Office the statement 

 is made that the "proper mating" of a neuropathic person "is 

 with a person in whose ancestry there is no trace of neuropathic 

 ancestry," and that "if only the matings be carefully made so 

 that the immediate children of the neuropathic person shall avoid 

 marrying a consort with a neuropathic taint, there will be no 

 neuropathic children or grandchildren, and hardly a greater 

 chance of neuropathic great-grandchildren than though the 

 .marriage in question had not been made." "The case may well 

 arise," Dr. Davenport continues, . . . "where a mentally vigo- 

 rous man wishes to marry a socially attractive and beautiful, 

 though defective, woman. Such a marriage may be, from the 

 standpoint of Eugenics, as from any social viewpoint, quite per- 

 missible." And in speaking of the marriage of epileptics, it is 

 further stated that "there may arise cases where the marriage of 

 an epileptic to a person of mentally untainted stock would be, on 

 the whole, desirable." 



The advice that strength may mate with weakness has been 



