ii6 TABOO AND GENETICS 



amounting to the sympathetic taboos so 

 carefully described by such writers on Magic 

 as MM. Hubert and Mauss of L'Ann6e 

 Sociologique ? Still another kind of taboos 

 mentioned by Dr. Frazer but amplified by Mr. 

 Crawley in " The Mystic Rose," the taboos on 

 knots at childbirth, marriage, and death, are 

 much better described by the term " sympathetic 

 taboo." Moreover, if taboo were a form of 

 magic as defined by Dr. Frazer, it would be a 

 somewhat definite and measurable quantity ; 

 whereas the distinguishing characteristic of taboo 

 everywhere is the " infinite plus of awfulness " 

 always accompanying its violation. As Dr. 

 Marett observes, there may be certain definite 

 results, such as prescribed punishment for 

 violations against which a legal code is in pro- 

 cess of growth. There may be also social 

 " growlings," showing the opposition of public 

 opinion to which the savage is at least as keenly 

 sensitive as the modern. But it is the " infinite 

 plus " always attached to the violation of taboo 

 that puts it into the realm of the mystical, the 

 magical. It would seem that Dr. Frazer's 

 definition does not include enough. 



It is when we turn to the subject of this study 

 that we see most clearly the deficiencies in these 

 explanations — to the " classic well-nigh 

 universal major taboo " of the woman shunned. 

 Dr. Marett uses her as his most telling argument 



