24 HEREDITY AND CHRISTIAN PROBLEMS 



Illustrations of the action of heredity may be 

 found in great abundance in the works of Darwin, 

 Weismann, Maudsley, Galton, Elam, and the many 

 other students of this fascinating subject. " Hered- 

 itary influence may manifest itself in the limbs, the 

 trunk, the head, even in the nails and the hair, 

 but especially in the countenance, expression, or 

 characteristic features." ^ These facts were often 

 observed in ancient times. Among the Romans 

 we read of the Nasones, Labeones, Buccones, Cap- 

 itones, etc. The significance of these names is in 

 the fact that all were derived from hereditary pecu- 

 liarities. The family of the Bentivoglios were dis- 

 tinguished by a small but evident tumour which 

 occurred in generation after generation, and which 

 acted as a kind of barometer, predicting atmo- 

 spheric changes, and growing larger when the 

 wind became moist. ^ 



An illustration of indirect heredity is taken 

 from Quatrefages. He says, as quoted by Ribot : 

 " I am acquainted with a family into which mar- 

 ried a grand-niece of the illustrious Bailli de Suf- 

 fren Saint-Tropez, the last French commander 

 in the great Indian wars against the English, 

 with Hyder Ali for his ally. This lady had two 



^ See Heredity, Ribot, p. 2. 

 2 Ibid. 



