Literary Notices. civ 



La Famille Nerropathique. 1 



Under this title Dr. Fere has presented a systematic account of 

 the great family of neuropathies with especial reference to teratology 

 and degeneracy and the elements of heredity involved in each. Be- 

 sides summarizing the chief points of value in the numerous tech- 

 nical papers upon these subjects, from the pen of this prolific author 

 the work will be of the greatest value to students by reason of the 

 very full citations of literature under every topic discussed. 



The first chapter is devoted to a brief consideration of the gen- 

 eral laws of heredity and of the theories of Weismann in particular. 

 In the next six chapters the role of heredity in the various neuroses 

 and psychoses is discussed in detail. Mental alienation, crime, ge- 

 nius and eccentricities in general are regarded as intimately related 

 and the inheritance may, and commonly does, pass from one to an- 

 other of these classes by substitution. The fact that these affections 

 in the hereditary transmission do not run true to the several varieties 

 but substitute very freely is not considered by Dr. Fere as evidence 

 that they are not genetically related. While resemblance of parent 

 and offspring is the rule in normal, progressive heredity, yet in mor- 

 bid or degenerative heredity the converse is true, for this extreme 

 variability is the most characteristic index of a dimunition of the vi- 

 tality of the race or variety. The coincidence of nervous diseases, 

 diseases of nutrition and somatic malformations in the same families, 

 so far from complicating the problem, really contributes largely to its 

 solution. This dissimilarity and discontinuity in the heredity is re- 

 peatedly emphasized by numerous illustrative examples. It is shown 

 that morbid predisposition to general diseases may belong to the same 

 general class of evolutionary defects or degeneracies, which, unless 

 eliminated by fortunate crosses, will ultimately culminate in sterility 

 and consequent extinction. Yet the dissolution ot heredity, like nor- 

 mal evolution, has its laws. The variability of degenerescence is not 

 hap-hazard, but conforms to certain well known types which are com- 

 mon to all degenerates, whatever may be the cause of the degeneracy 

 — whether due to a cumulative morbid heredity, to old age, youthful- 

 ness, or great disparity of age of the parents, to permanent or even 

 temporary lowering of their vitality, to drunkenness and other intoxi- 

 cations, to infections and in particular to syphilis. The view that 



'Fere, Ch. La Famille Nevropathique, Theorie teratologique de l'here- 

 dite et de la predisposition morbides et de la degenerescence, 334 pp., 25 fig- 

 ures. Paris, F. Alcan, 1894. 



