FEEBLE-MINDEDNESS 285 



feeble-minded. In six cases feeble-minded persons married 

 each other producing sixteen feeble-minded and five epileptic 

 offspring. These cases indicate that the epilepsy and feeble- 

 mindedness here dealt with were merely different manifes- 

 tations due to a single cause, either a common infection or 

 a conunon form of defect inherited without specific infection. 



That insanity is probably due to a variety of causes and 

 not the same ones as epilepsy or feeble-mindedness is shown 

 by matings of the insane with epileptic or feeble-minded per- 

 sons. Davenport and Weeks report three matings of an in- 

 sane person with an epileptic or feeble-minded person, which 

 produced fifteen adult offspring. Of these nine, or a majority, 

 are described as normal, one as epileptic, and four as feeble- 

 minded, while one is classed as " neurotic." This result indi- 

 cates that the insane parent in most of these cases did not 

 transmit the same abnormality or pathological condition as 

 the epileptic or feeble-minded parent. Insanity in the family 

 is racially less serious than epilepsy, possibly because less 

 often due to congenital infection. 



Feeble-mindedness. The most complete study of the inheri- 

 tance of feeble-mindedness that has ever been made is that 

 published by Dr. H. H. Goddard of the Vineland New Jersey 

 Training School for Feeble-minded, who has recently pub- 

 lished his results in book form (Macmillan & Co., 1914). He 

 has studied the family histories of three hundred and twenty- 

 seven families which sent pupils to the Vineland School. 

 These family histories are published in detail, though not 

 ►of course by name, and include in many cases photographs 

 of the pupil or of his written work. In every case the family 

 pedigree is charted to show the occurrence of mental or 

 physical peculiarities in ancestors or any pertinent facts con- 

 cerning their lives. The information was obtained from the 

 parents of pupils, from family physicians, friends or neigh- 

 bors, partly through printed questionnaires, partly through 

 personal interviews by trained investigators. This method 

 of obtaining information is of course capable of uncritical use, 

 as already pointed out, but seems to have been employed 



