506 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



MENTAL AND MOEAL HEEEDITY IN EOYALTY. III. 



By FREDERICK ADAMS WOODS, M.D. 

 HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 



Evidence from the Romanhofs in Russia Down to Peter III. 



From Feodor Eomanhof (1550-1633), to Peter III. (1728-62), 

 includes six generations and twenty-one persons in the direct family. 

 These twenty-one show the most remarkable variation in character and 

 abilities. 



The first one to be considered, Feodor, was the greatest man in 

 Eussia in his day, and it was owing to his abilities and virtues that his 

 son, Michael, was placed on the throne. Michael was prudent, mild and 

 virtuous, married a peasant woman of the same character and was the 

 father of Alexis, who in his time was very much like his parents. 

 Alexis married twice, both queens being beautiful peasant girls. The 

 czars at this time chose their wives from a large number of their 

 subjects. All the charming peasant girls were brought to the court for 

 their sovereign's inspection, the most beautiful being chosen and made 

 legal queen. 



From both of these unions came epileptic children. It seems impos- 

 sible to trace the origin of this famous neurosis in the Eomanhof s since 

 it probably arose in the obscure stock back of Alexis. From Alexis' 

 first marriage were produced Feodor, imbecile; Sophia, extraordinary 

 force of will, ambition and high abilities; and Ivan, imbecile and 

 epileptic. From the second marriage came Peter the Great, extraordi- 

 nary will and capacity, but violent and epileptic; and several other 

 children in no way remarkable. The genius of Peter the Great and 

 Sophia may have been a reversion to Feodor, their great-grandparent, 

 or it may have been a manifestation of the neurosis as Lombroso would 

 say. On account of the very same ability already in the family as well 

 as the evident neurosis, it does not seem necessary to consider them 

 evidences of the insanity of genius, since the genius may have struck 

 them from one source and the insanity from another. Those who con- 

 sider the tyranny of the Eussian czars a result of absolutism of the 

 rulers should remember that just prior to the appearance of the neurosis 

 there were four sovereigns who were in every way wise, mild and 

 virtuous. Also the 'Age of Absolutism' in Denmark produced mild 

 and good-natured rulers. 



Now from this time on we find among the remaining eighteen who 

 appear in the next three generations, six who have extremely bad char- 



