Osborn: Inheritance of Baldness 
these are the conclusions that can be 
drawn from the work already done. 
Baldness is inherited as a dominant 
character from father to son, and may 
be transmitted through the mother 
though she is not bald. A man who 
does not show baldness himself cannot 
transmit it to his children. 
Baldness behaves as a recessive in 
women, appearing only when the in- 
heritance is duplex. It is a_ sex- 
limited trait. This explains why bald- 
ness is uncommon in women, but also 
explains the few existing cases. 
Some women become partly bald 
through illness in addition to an in- 
herited (simplex) tendency. 
The other theories advanced as to 
the cause of baldness are not satis- 
factory. Diseases of the scalp cannot 
explain pattern baldness. Very heavy 
hair is often associated with entire 
baldness on the top of the head. 
Illness explains a few cases, but can- 
not explain the great prevalence of 
baldness. It does not explain why 
Ses) 
some individuals in extremely poor 
health retain heavy hair, and many 
healthy people become bald. In case 
baldness is due to poor health there igs 
also an hereditary tendency. 
Pressure on the scalp, as an explana- 
tion, is unsatisfactory. Many men 
wear tight hats which do not affect the 
persistence of the hair. A few of the 
bald men in the families studied had 
worn tight hats, but the majority had 
carefully avoided them. Contrary to 
the main argument in support of this 
theory women do become bald. It is 
an uncommon occurrence, but the 
charts readily explain that. Few people 
realize that the condition exists because 
women can conceal their baldness much 
more easily than men. 
These theories do not agree, and none 
in itself is satisfactory. Heredity as 
a cause of baldness explains away these 
difficulties. It explains the presence of 
a pattern, why healthy individuals are 
afflicted, and why it is so common in 
men and exceptional in women. 
The Nassau County Survey 
The eugenic survey of Nassau County, 
Long Island, New York, which was 
described in the May issue of this 
journal, is well under way. It con- 
sists essentially of an examination of 
selected persons in all parts of the 
county, and all persons in selected 
parts of the county. The first object 
is to find the amount of mental defect 
in the community; the second is to 
get a picture of the eugenic constitu- 
tion of the community, showing the 
economic productivity, health, and fer- 
tility of various sections. The director 
of the survey is Dr. A. J. Rosanoff, of 
Kings Park State Hospital, and the 
general supervision is in a committee, 
made up as follows: Dr. Charles B. 
Davenport, director of the Eugenics 
Record Office, chairman; Prof. Stephen 
P. Duggan, Professor of Education, 
New York City College; Elizabeth E. 
Farrell, Inspector of Ungraded Classes, 
New York City Public Schools; Homer 
Folks, secretary, State Charities Aid 
Association, New York City; Dr. 
Thomas W. Salmon, medical director, 
National Committee for Mental Hy- 
giene, New York City; Dr. August 
Hoch, director Psychiatric Institute, 
Ward’s Island, N. Y. 
The American Genetic Association 
feels that such research work as this is 
the most important contribution that 
can be made to eugenics at the present 
time. As a mark of this appreciation, 
the above-mentioned members of the 
survey committee have been added to 
the research committee on eugenics, of 
this association, for the current year. 
Dr. Davenport has been for many years 
secretary of this committee. 
