

The head of the hen in Fig. 5. Note the size and coarseness of the comb, which is unlike 

 the males of this variety. The complete history of this hen could not be obtained. (Fig. 6.) 



Inheritance of Absence of the Sense of Smell 



Some time ago one of otir corre- 

 spondents inquired whether the absence 

 of a sense of smell was hereditary. At 

 that time we had never heard of an in- 

 stance and the literature, so far as 

 known to us, made mention of no cases 

 whatever. Quite recently, and entirely 

 by chance, an example of this rare de- 

 fect has come to our notice. 



The person in question is quite de- 

 xoul of the sense of smell. Odors, per- 

 ceived by ordinary persons in the ordi- 

 nary way, if sufficiently strong, are 

 simply "felt." The person in question. 

 a man, has a brother affected in the 

 same way. Their mother likewise had 

 the same curious defect. In the same 



family there is a first cousin also with- 

 out the sense of smell, but this case is 

 really an independent heritage brought 

 in from another family. Apparently 

 the locus of origin, in Russia, is a lo- 

 cality in which this defect is being 

 inbred. 



So far the number of instances and 

 certain other details are too meager to 

 allow us to say anything very specific 

 about the manner of inheritance, 

 whether, for example, the trait is sex- 

 linked or not. Still it does seem safe 

 to classify it among traits that reappear 

 in succeeding generations and therefore 

 is hereditary. — O. C. Glaser, Good 

 Health, December, 1918.^ 



1 Professor Glaser has also discussed this case in Science, December 27, 1918. 



34; 



