52 THE MENDEL JOURNAL 



normals, in fact, breed true to the normal character, 

 and the abnormality can only be transmitted by one 

 or other abnormal parent. 



According to Professor Bateson and Professor 

 Punnett, a dominant character is due to the 

 presence of some factor wliich determines its 

 manifestation, and its non-appearance is due to the 

 absence of the same factor. If, then, the peculiarities 

 of the short-fingered people are due to the presence in 

 them of some factor or element which is absent from 

 the normals, it follows that the normals can never 

 reproduce the abnormality which requires the 

 presence of this factor for its manifestation. 



It is obvious that a purely short-fingered race 

 could be established by breeding from them alone, and 

 it is equally clear that this abnormality can only be 

 eradicated by preventing the marriage of the abnor- 

 mals. The same observation applies to any disease, 

 or predisposition to disease, and to any defect or 

 peculiarity which is hereditary and plays the part of 

 a dominant characteristic ; but this is not the place 

 to discuss the subject in further detail. 



There is little doubt that in a wild state any 

 individuals who presented the physical peculiarities 

 described in this paper would, owing to the struggle 

 for existence, have little chance of surviving long 

 enough to perpetuate their kind : but the conditions 

 of modern civilisation are such^ that vast numbers ot 

 people, handicapped at birth, are not only able to 

 survive, but to perpetuate their kind, even though it 

 tends to the deterioration of the race. 



Plate 1 and Fig. 4 are reproduced bi/ kind permission of the Royal Society 

 of Edinburgh, from their " Proceedings," and the others are new. 



