MENTAL AND MORAL HEREDITY IN ROYALTY. 4 97 



MEXTAL AND MOEAE HEKEDITY IX ROYALTY. IX. 



By Dr. FREDERICK ADAMS WOODS, 



HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 



Regression to the Mean. 



T3 Y taking each country separately and analyzing it minutely, we have 

 -* ' seen how almost perfect heredity appears to be as a cause of the 

 mental and moral peculiarities wherever found. In order to ascertain if 

 talent is properly related to genius in point of consanguinity, so that we 

 have a progressive falling off in relationship to 9, 10 grades as we descend 

 from the high ranks to the mediocrities, a count has been made of the 

 number of geniuses (9, 10 grades) which each person possesses as a 

 blood relation both in the first degree of consanguinity and in the 

 second. By the first degree is meant the number of geniuses who are 

 as closely related as father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter. 



The second degree includes also grandparents, uncles, aunts, grand- 

 children, nephews and nieces. If the proportionate relationship of 

 geniuses to men and women of their own type is greater for the first 

 degree of relationship than for the second, we shall see the principle 

 of heredity satisfied, especially if the ratio is the same as found by 

 other observers for physical traits. 



The curves show that such is the case, and we have an almost 

 perfect rise in eminent relationship as we ascend from mediocrity to 

 the highest scale. This is true for both the males and females. The 

 average of both sexes smoothes out the curve and gives an even more 

 regular rise than is given by each sex separately. It is to be remem- 

 bered that such facts mean a great deal since were the geniuses scat- 

 tered over the entire number, without any law of distribution in regard 

 to blood as I claim they should be from the effect of environment 

 on the intellectual side at least there would be instead a reverse of 

 the facts, or an actual falling off in percentage of eminent relations 

 among the higher grades. 



This can be made clear by considering any one instance. Take 

 the case of Catherine II. of Russia. All her near relations receive 

 one count for being related to her, yet she herself receives no count, 

 since none of her near relations stand in a 9 or 10 grade. The same 

 would be true of Frederick the Great were he the only one in his 

 immediate family who belonged to 9 or 10 grade. As a matter of 

 fact he counts 6 such relations. 



The accompanying curves (Blate I.) show the percentage of eminent 

 (or 9, 10) relations which each grade possesses. The lower lines show 



VOL. lxii. 32. 



