550 



Thi-: Journal of Heri-:ditv 



on the Maine coast, has been undertaken 

 for the Record Office by Miss Mary 

 M. Sturj^es, who previously investigated 

 the same subject in isolated ]3arts of 

 Long Island. As the families dealt with 

 arc characterized by various defects, it 

 is found, as was expected, that these are 

 manifested in an intensified form, as the 

 result of cousin-marriages, although it 

 is generally agreed that such matings 

 are quite jjropcr if made in an untainted 

 stock. 



The study of the inheritance of 

 Huntington's chorea is being carried on 

 by Dr. Elizabeth B. Munccy, who has 

 traced this condition, which behaves as 

 a definitely dominant trait, back as far 

 as the witches of Salem, at least one 

 of whom in the strain it seems justifiable 

 to chart as choreic. Family histories 

 are being collected b\' field workers in 

 10 or 12 institutions for the feeble- 

 minded, the insane, the epileptic, the al- 

 coholic, the delinquent, etc. The docu- 

 ments thus collected, and also the con- 

 tents of .some printed genealogical and 

 historical works, are being indexed by 

 name, place and trait, in the Eugenics 

 Record Office, and arc accessil)le to 

 serious investigators at any time. Sched- 

 ules for a record of family traits are also 

 distributed to all who will undertake 

 to fill them out and return to the Record 

 Office for ])ermanent custody; in cases 

 where it is requested, a duiilicate 

 schedule is sent to be retained by the 

 person interested. Members of this 

 Association arc urged to assist in the 

 collection of data by sending for and 

 filling out such schedules. The Record 

 Office also distributes, upon request by 

 persons who are contemplating mar- 

 riage, s]jecial schedules u])on which 

 they may record their family traits and 

 which they may submit to the Record 

 Office for comments with reference to 

 the expectation of the traits of the off- 

 spring. 



The Fifth Annual Training Class for 

 Field Workers was held at the Record 

 OPIice from July 1 to August 12 this 

 year. It has been found that about 

 one-half of the members of these train- 

 ing classes become field workers in 

 some branch of the in\'esligation of 



heredity in man. Usually the class 

 numbers from 20 to 35 each year. 



Dr. H. H. Goddard and his associates 

 at the Training School ( Vineland, N. J.) 

 are now devoting all their time to work- 

 ing up material already on hand; the 

 institution has no field workers out at 

 present, since the amount of data await- 

 ing analysis is already larger than can 

 be handled. Dr. Goddard has just 

 ])u]:)lished a book (Fceble-mindedness, 

 its Causes and Consequences) which 

 gives the result of a study of the family 

 history of 327 inmates of the Training 

 School, in such full form as to furnish 

 data for any future investigators who 

 mav differ from Dr. Goddard's conclu- 



sions. 



FEEBLE-.MINDEDNESS. 



It is f(nind that heredity alone ex- 

 plains al)out two-thirds of the cases of 

 feeble-mindedness ; the other third are 

 due to such causes as accident, or sick- 

 ness during childhood. This last cause 

 is one which demands, and is now re- 

 ceiving, further study. Of a dozen 

 children wIkj ha\'e scarlet fever, for in- 

 stance, 1 1 reeox'er unscathed ; the twelfth 

 remains feeble-minded for life. The 

 question at once arises, why was the 

 one singled out in this way? and the 

 apparent conclusion is again, heredity. 

 It is found that the family histories of 

 such children nearly always show weak- 

 nesses, which are ab.sent from a normal 

 pedigree. In connection with the family 

 history of each inmate of the Training 

 School, his or her mental and i)hysical 

 condition are carefully investigated, and 

 studies also made on the metabolism, 

 a biochemist and several assistants be- 

 ing kept busy on this work. It is found 

 that feeble-mindedness (or at least, the 

 lower grades of it) is not merely a mental 

 defect, l)ut that it indicates that the 

 patient's physical condition is abnonnal, 

 as well. Extended research on this line 

 may lead to the eslabli.^hment of 

 ])hysiological tests to su])plement the 

 l)s\-chological ones now used to classify 

 feeble-minded ]iatients. 



Among the family histories on hand 

 at the Training School and awaiting 

 publication is one emliracing the grouj) 

 in northern \ew Jcrsi'v well known 



