KiS 



'riii' loiKNAi. <)i- I 1i:ki:i)i IN' 



staiU with respect to the 

 anthropological characters. 



inheritable 



THK IDKA OF I'KEFOTKNC Y. 



The hazy concejition of a "prepo- 

 tency" in transmission is referred by 

 Fischer to its most jilausible origin, the 

 accidental combination of numerous 

 dominant characters. He tests the ques- 

 tion of whether there is a racial pre- 

 potency by means of curves, which show 

 the genealogically middle-group to hold 

 exactly a middle ground between its 

 two parent races. He therefore con- 

 cludes: "A prepotency of either of the 

 ])arent races, a stronger tendency of the 

 hybrids to resemble either one of them, 

 does not exist. On the average the 

 hybrids occupy an exactly intermediate 

 position. One can not talk safely of a 

 prepotency." An apparent prepon- 

 derant influence of anv race in trans- 



mission merely indicates that it possesses 

 many characters which behave as domi- 

 nants. 



Mathematical computations failed to 

 discover any correlation of the charac- 

 ters shown by hybrids; in consequence 

 it must be assumed that the characters 

 of the two ]jarent races act entirely 

 indejjendcntly in heredity. 



Consanguineous marriages are very 

 frequent among the hybrids. No evil 

 results have ever been noticed from 

 them, but an increased sharpness of 

 family tyjjcs is ])roduced. 



As the end-])roduct of hybridization, 

 Fischer does not admit the fonnation of 

 a new race, since that would require 

 blended inheritance of at least a number 

 of important characteristics. From 

 his views on heredity, he concludes that 

 mankind as it exists today forms but a 

 single biological species. 



Mme. Montessori's View 



The most interesting Ijiological researches of today arc in regard to the heredi- 

 tary transmission of characteristics. — Maria Montessori. 



