208 READINGS IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE 



Wherever it is a question of a child's getting one gene or another, or 

 having such and such a characteristic, the odds for every child are exactly 

 the same. 



Some gamblers might dispute this, but if you toss up a coin one time 

 and it comes up heads, that does not mean that the next time there is any 

 better chance of its coming up tails. There is the same fifty-fifty chance 

 on each toss-up. Even, if through an unusual "run," there would be ten 

 heads in succession, on the eleventh toss there would still be an exactly 

 even chance of either "heads" or "tails." (This applies to dice, roulette, 

 or any other game of chance. Many a gentleman has lost a fortune trying 

 to disprove it.) 



So, let us say, if the odds are even for your having a blue-eyed child, 

 and your first one is brown-eyed, that does not mean that the odds are any 

 better that the next one will be blue-eyed. Even if four or five children in 

 a row are born with brown eyes, there is still that same fifty-fifty chance, 

 no more or no less, that the next child will have either brown or blue eyes. 



But perhaps we need not have gone into all this. In the "boy or girl?" 

 question we say that there is a io6 to loo chance that the child will be a 

 boy. And yet, authorities like Eddie Cantor will tell you that the fact of 

 their having had two, three, or four girls in a row in no way bettered the 

 odds that the next one would not be a girl! 



In "boy or girl?" however, it is a simple question of one or the other. 

 But in the case of features or form — in fact, of any detail in the body — 

 there are innumerable variations to contend with. If you and your mate 

 conform to the average, you will find that the forecasts here presented are 

 fairly dependable. Always, however, allow for exceptions and — whatever 

 happens, do not blame us (or the geneticists on whose studies these tables 

 are based) if the baby does not turn out the way the forecast indicated. 



And now to Sir Oracle! 



HOW TO USE THESE "CHILD FORECAST" TABLES 



First: If this is to be your first child, find out as much as possible about what 

 genes you and your mate may be carrying by studying other members 

 of your families.* A4ake allowances for all characteristics influenced 

 by environment. 



Second: If you have already had one or more children, also study each child for 

 additional clues as to your genes. 



Third: Remember that no matter how many children you have had, or what 

 they look like, the odds that your child will receive a given character- 

 istic are exactly the same as if it had been the first. 



Fourth: In consulting the tables, look for your own characteristic in either of 

 the "parents" columns. (They each apply equally to father or mother.) 

 If you and your mate are of different types, look first for the type most 

 pronounced — the darkest coloring, the most extreme hair form, etc. 



• "Family" refers not only to parents, brothers, and sisters, but also to grandparents 

 and other close relatives. 



