A SWEDISH FARMER'S LINEAGE 69 



Group I, comprises 30 households with 148 children. In these no parental 

 taint appears, nor any relationship between such parents. 



Group II, contains 14 households with 52 children where tuberculosis is the 

 only parental taint. 



Group A, comprises 15 households, with 108 children where the only taint 

 is close relationship between the parents (cousins or secondscousins). 



Group III, contains 37 households with 213 children where one, or (in excep* 

 tional cases) both parents were alcoholists, otherwise, no taint. 



Group D, contains 12 households with 95 children. Parents were cousins, 

 and closer relationship, is found in one or two former generations. 



The children in these households obtain a comparatively large »loss of 

 ancestors*, as genealogists say. 



If we now compare the numbers in table 5 we find that children in group I, 

 where no parental taints are seen, have proved to be decidedly better than those 

 in any other group. The number of children who have died before 5 years of 

 age, is least here, and the number of healthy persons over 15 years is greatest. 

 The number of »defectives» is considerably less than in the other groups. 



In the tuberculosis group, mortality is greatest, and nativity least, but even 

 here »defectives» are not particurlarly numerous. 



Group A, the relationship group, shows as a rule average rates. 



The alcoholist group (III) shows considerably more disadvantageous rates 

 of percentage (see table). 



The worst group is D, where closer relationship is found in 2 or more 

 successive generations, the mortality, in children of tender years is, in this group, 

 particularly high, and the nativity also. The number of »defectives» is also 

 great. Very defective persons appear at the rate of 17.9 %. 



The children who have been unfortunate enough to be born in these house* 

 holds, have paid dearly for the ignorance or imprudence of their parents when 

 marrying. The pitiable consequences of marriages with relations in this unhappily 

 situated family, has been noticed to a certain extent by the inhabitants of the 

 district. Especially persons of other families residing there, but also nembers of 

 the Lister family have apparently been aware of the menace. Most marriages 

 however take place in this district, for economical reasons. When it is a question 

 of retaining a home^stead within the family, which has been in its possession 

 for a long time, all consideration for offspring is forgotten. In this district crass 

 egotism still prevails, not only in this family, but in many others in the country, 

 where one would have expected better. 



The race^hygienic principles will lay the foundation for a higher and better form 

 of ethics, than obtains now, when these ideas become thoroughly, rooted in the 

 mind of the people at large. 



These comparisions give us an interesting insight into the biological structure 

 of the family, if I may use such an expression. 



They show us amongst other things, how difficult it is from a large mass 

 of material, to separate groups of households where no, or only one, paren* 

 tal taint appears, a grouping which permits certain conclusions to be drawn tou» 

 ching the importance of one or the other taints in connection with offspring. 



