MARRIAGE AND INSANITY. 109 



Here the epilepsy of the father, combining with the 

 insane taint in the mother, came very nearly exter- 

 minating the family in one generation. Only one of 

 the five wretched children leaves issue, and in all 

 likelihood her miserable offspring are the last repre- 

 sentatives of a decaying stock. 



Many examples of the dire effect of the inter- 

 marriage of the neurotic or insane diathesis might be 

 cited. I will, however, content myself with giving 

 the following, which I take from Doutrebente's " An- 

 nales Medico- Psychologiques" 1869. 



First Generation. Father intelligent, became melan- 

 cholic and died insane. Mother nervous and emotional. 



Second Generation. Ten children. Three die in 

 childhood. Seven reach maturity as follows : Daughter 

 A. a melancholiac ; daughter B. insane at twenty; 

 daughter C. imbecile; daughter D. a suicide; son E. 

 imbecile ; son F. a melancholiac ; son G. a melan- 

 choliac. 



Third Generation. A. has ten children ; five die 

 in childhood, one is deformed, one has fits of insanity, 

 one is eccentric and extravagant, two are intelligent 

 and marry, but are childless. B. leaves no issue. C. 

 has one child, a deformed imbecile. D. has three 

 children ; one is an imbecile, one dies of apoplexy at 

 twenty-three, and the third is an artist, described as 

 " extravagant." E. has two children ; one dies insane, 

 the other disappears, and is supposed to have com- 

 mitted suicide. F. is childless. G. has one child, who 

 is imbecile. 



