198 



MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, 



There is generally nothing in the institntiou reports to guide us to a solution of the problem. 

 If the names of the husbands and wives of the pupils were recorded it would be possible to arrive 

 at some conclusion. As it is, the most we can do is to ascertain the number of deaf children recorded 

 iis the ofi'spring of the male pupils and those noted as born to the female pupils. Even though it 

 were possible to arrive at a correct conclusion regarding the total number of deaf ofi'spring recorded 

 in the reports, still we would not be able to ascertain the actual nunil)er of deaf children born to 

 the pupils. For it is obvious, from the following considerations, that the number i-ecorded is so 

 much less than the number born as to lead to the inference that in a considerable proportion of 

 cases the deaf offspring are not recorded at all until some of the children make their appearance 

 in the institution as pupils. This means that they may not be recorded until 10, 20, or even 25 

 years after the date of their birth. I may be wrong in such a supposition, but I do not know how 

 otherwise to account for the imperfection of the records : 



(1) In the 1877 report of the American Asylum the married male pupils were recorded to have 

 had 3G deaf children born to them and the married female pupils 28. Whereas 57 children of 

 deaf-mute marriages have already been admitted into the institution as pupils (November, 1883*), 

 all of whom were born before the 1877 report was issued. This does not include a number of deaf- 

 mutes who have been admitted into other institutions in New England whose parents were pupils 

 of the American Asylum, nor does it include children too young to be sent from home. 



(2) In the 1882 report of the Illinois Institution the married male pupils were recorded to have 

 had 10 deaf children born to them and the married female pupils 8. Whereas 11 children have 

 already been admitted into the Illinois Institution (November, 1883t) one or both of whose parents 

 were deaf. 



(3) A comparison of the four reports of the American Asylum containing the statistics of the 

 institution shows that only a small proportion of the deaf ofi'spring of the later marriages are 

 recorded in the 1877 report. This will be obvious from the following table: 



Table XXVI. — (JongenitaUy deaf pupils who married deaf-mutes. 



* Deduced from a comparison of the four reports of the American Asjlnm. (See Introduction to Table XXIII.) 



From this table it appears that 110 congenital deaf-mutes (males and females) have married 

 deaf-mutes since the 1857 report was issued and that only one deaf child resulted from these 

 marriages (!). This is most extraordinary, in view of the results obtained by Dr. Turner, which 

 were based upon the marriages of the pupils of the same institution, and we must conclude that 

 the records of the later marriages are defective so far as the deaf offspring are concerned. 



An exainiuiition of the tables in the appendix shows that of all the pupils of the American 

 Asj'lum and Illinois Institution 445 males and 371 females are recorded to have married. In the 

 445 families formed by the males there were (according to tlie reports) 40 deaf children, or 10.3 

 deaf children for every 100 families; and in the 371 tiimilies formed by the females there were 36 

 deaf children, or 9.7 in 100 families. 



* Reporteri to the writer by Mr. Williams, the pre cut priuiipal of the institntion. 

 t Reported to the writer by Dr. Gillett, the present principal of Illinois Institution. 



