INHERITANCE OP TEMPERAMENT. 77 



time manic and depressed components are interwoven, or such compo- 

 nents may follow one after the other in quick succession. 



The next step is to see whether, upon applying the most probable 

 zygotic formulae to various pairs of parents, the distribution of mood as 

 found in the offspring is such as would be called for by the hypothesis. 

 From our family histories 146 matings were chosen on the basis of 

 such fullness of knowledge that the probable zygotic constitution of 

 parents and offspring could be inferred. 



The criteria of suitability of the zygotic formula are these: First, 

 the zygotic formula is ordinarily one that corresponds to a set of char- 

 acters found in the individual, as summarized in table A. Thus, if 

 the person is liable to periods of marked excitement (without corre- 

 sponding periods of depression) he is assigned the zygotic formula 

 E2C 2 . For example, the formula is applied in mating ia to a man who 

 is "a great fighter of ugly, disagreeable disposition." In 16, to a man 

 who was of a surly, disagreeable disposition; would beat his children, 

 was hypererotic and brutal to his wife. In mating 3, to a man who would 

 periodically roar and scream and struggle violently. In mating 8, to 

 a woman who at 46 years began to have violent spells of laughter and 

 rage and to want to shoot her friends; at the hospital she was dis- 

 agreeable and profane; discharged at the age of 50 years, she is now 

 disagreeable when crossed and has fits of unreasonable laughter. 



When the non-excited state shows certain elements below the normal 

 the formula E2Cc is applied. Thus, in mating 2 the mother is subject 

 to attacks of mania, is violent, nomadic, and has hysterical spasms. 

 But she has been, at times, depressed and emotional. The prevailing 

 fabric in her attacks is violent, restless, emotional; but this is mixed 

 with a religious and depressed thread. 



When the patient shows at times a clear alternation of elated and 

 depressed states of approximately equal degree, the zygotic formula 

 E2C 2 is applied. Thus, in mating 806, the father, in a State hospital, 

 had unsystematized, exalted, morbid ideas; became homicidal, sleep- 

 less, restless; at times dull, confused, resistive; at others, exalted, 

 talkative, silly, and violent. This is a nearly typical picture of the 

 manic-depressive. His daughter, when she "came out" at 19, was the 

 belle of a southern city and for 2 years led a very gay life ; was attrac- 

 tive to men and became engaged to two of them ; smoked 40 cigarettes 

 a day; took a good deal of champagne and one cocktail after another. 

 At a summer house-party she became suddenly depressed and home- 

 sick and returned home, keeping in the house, reading and sewing, 

 until December, occasionally saying she wished she were dead. Again, 

 after a slight operation, she broke off her engagement and was depressed 

 for a year. The next year at the seashore she became noisy, screaming, 

 using bad language, and "turkey-trotting" in public places; in the 

 house, tore down curtains, and at the hospital was over-active and 



