384 



The Journal of Heredity 



3-oung of some intestinal disorder. Two 

 years after (in 1895) there were again 

 born to the propositus twins — Anna, 

 who still survives, and Charles, who 

 died young. The next year another 

 pair of twins were born — Irene, who 

 still survives, and Clarence, who died 

 young. The propositus married, third, 

 W. G. C, in 1902, and he is still living. 

 He is of English and Scotch descent. 

 By him the propositus had first (pro- 

 bably 1903) a pair of twins by the names 

 of Howard (who died at eight months 

 of hydrocephalus and Noah (who died 

 soon after his twin brother). In Decem- 

 ber, 1904, triplets were born, of whom 

 the eldest, Will, is still living, but of 

 whom the other two were born dead. 

 About a year later the propositus had 

 a miscarriage of triplets (IV 18, 19, 

 20). In 1907 there were born twins 

 (IV 21, 22) ; a boy, Hugh, is still liv- 

 ing, but the girl died one hour after 

 birth. Then followed the next year a 

 miscarriage of two boys and two girls. 

 This seems to have been brought on by 

 the poor health of the mother. In 1909 

 there were born twins (IV 27, 28) ; a 

 boy, Edward, is still living and a girl 

 died at the age of ten days in the hos- 

 pital. In 1910 triplets were born (IV 

 29, 30, 31); a boy, Roland, still lives 

 at home, one of the girls died at the 

 age of one week, and the other was a 

 "blue baby" (that is, one in which the 

 foramen ovale failed to close). In 1912 



the propositus gave birth to four girls, 

 born at full term in March, and in 

 December of the same year, she had a 

 miscarriage at about five months, asso- 

 ciated with a severe burn that she ex- 

 perienced. In April, 1913, the proposi- 

 tus had another miscarriage, at about 

 three months, of females, as indicated on 

 the chart IV 40, 41, 42. Thus the pro- 

 positus has averaged nearly three chil- 

 dren at a birth and has had thirty preg- 

 nancies inside of twelve years in the 

 last mating, in addition to the eleven 

 by the two earlier matings. 



The foregoing remarkable case is by 

 no means unique, but accords very well 

 with the similar cases that are reported 

 by Gould and Pyle, "Curiosities of 

 Medicine." The present case, however, 

 is of especial interest because of the 

 testimony that the tendency to multiple 

 births has appeared in each of four suc- 

 cessive generations. That the tendency 

 to multiple births is hereditary is clearly 

 brought out in the case of sheep in 

 strains which, like that of Dr. Alex- 

 ander Graham Bell, have been developed 

 in which twins are almost exclusively 

 produced. Even among commercial 

 breeders the existence of such twin- 

 producing strains is well known. The 

 Dorset horned sheep are reputed to 

 show a greater tendency toward twin- 

 ning than other races of sheep. It is 

 hoped to make further studies upon the 

 case described in this communication. 



