LESS IMPORTANT HEREDITARY AFFECTIONS. 305 



this last is the most common cause of death among 

 " bleeders." 



This abnormal state of the system is purely heredi- 

 tary, and no satisfactory explanation has yet been 

 given as to its cause or origin. Strange to say, it is not, 

 apparently, related to any other hereditarily transmitted 

 abnormal condition. Another remarkable and unex- 

 plained fact concerning this condition is, that the Jews 

 appear to be specially liable to it. Drs. J. Wickham 

 Legg, Finlayson, and others have studied this diathesis 

 most carefully, but as yet nothing has been discovered 

 to explain why the condition should exist at all. 



This hsemorrhagic diathesis is almost wholly con- 

 fined to men, for the reason given at page 73, viz., 

 that it would be impossible for a woman to survive 

 the functions of mature womanhood in whom this 

 abnormal condition was active. The character is, 

 however, constantly transmitted through the female 

 members of " bleeder " families to their progeny, which 

 clearly shows that although the character is not active 

 in these women, it is present in a latent form. This is 

 well exemplified in the following family, whose history 

 is recorded by Dr. Lessen and quoted by Sir W. Turner. 

 In this family the affection is traced through three gene- 

 rations : not a single female member of the family was 

 affected, yet in the second generation no less than thirteen 

 sons of two of the females of the family were bleeders. 



In this family tree the members affected are repre- 

 sented by capital letters, those not affected by small 

 letters : 



