18R Life and Letters of Frannn (,'affoti 



IJ, Hi TI.ANK (lATK. Aor. ^I'l. 



Mr DKAR Dakwin, AliisI Alius! — and I IiikI tnki'ii sm-h puiiis to cxprosw myself eleiirly, 

 and I see what I mean, so clearly! 



I wa« inost obliged for the Hrowii-8«''quanl reference in the I.nncH, aiul will certainly alter 

 the paragraph. His non-publication cif the ]»ap»?rH, even in abstract, rend by liini at the Hritish 

 Association in 1870, had given nie additional fcAr that there was something wrong. 



All the other points you refer to in your letter, I will do what 1 can aUiut : i.e,, make 

 clearer, answer, or amend; but it is tt>o late to make more than small alterations in the pi-oof. 



Thank you for reference and offer to send Panum, but I have a de-scription of his i-usults, 

 so far as I want them, in C. Dareste (Ann, Sc. Nnt^ireUes [^ooloyif, T. xvii], 1862, 'Sur lesccufs 

 a double gernie,' p. 34). 



In mv 'Fraser' article there is a most unlucky and al)surd collocation of words, which 1 

 heartily nop*- no critic will wize upon, for which I simply can't account except in the sup|M>- 

 sition of Iwully scratching out in the ms., and variously alt4>ring some |>a8Hage. It is al>out 

 'double yolketl eggs' and 'simple germs'. 1 ought never to have }>a.s.sed it in proof; but 

 there it is. 



The twins Ixim in one chorion, — never mind whether 2 amnions or not, — is Kleinwiichter's 

 dictum which he fortifies by numerous mo<lcrn German authorities; Kiwisch l)eing the only one 

 who, it apiioars, still talks of fusion of membranes. I also noted the i-emark in the Catalogue of 

 the Museum Coll. Surgeons " Teratology" that twin." in one chorion are jiroliably (1 think that 

 was the word) derived from 2 germinal spots on one ovum. 



If you care to see Kleiuwachter, I could send it you. 



Very sincei-ely yours, Francis Galton. 



42, Rutland Gatk, S.W. Ntn\ 10/75. 



My dear Georoe, I got my back Statistical Society publications la.st night and have read 

 your cousin-paper with very great interest'. You certainly have exploded most effectually a 

 popular scjire. Would it be profitable to make any "prol)able error" sort of estimate of your 

 results, which should eventuate in some such form us this: "The injurious effects of first-cousin 

 marriagUK, measured in such and such ways, cannot exceed so and so, and probably do not 

 exceed so and so"1 



You ought to found a fortune upon your discovery, — Thus: there are, .say, 200,000 annual 

 marriages in the kingdom, of which 2,000 and more are between first cousins. Vou have only 

 to print in proportion, and in various appropriate scales of cheapness or luxury : 



"WORDS of Scientific COMFORT 



and ENCOURAGEMENT 



To COUSINS who are LOVERS" 



then each lover and each of the two .sets of parents would be sure to buy a copy; i.e. an annual 



sale of 8,000 copies!! (Cousins who fall in love and don't marry would also buy copies, as well 



as those who think that they might fall in lovo.) 



I read my "Theory of Heredity" at the Anthrojxjlogical last night, when up got a mad 

 spirituali.st who orated, and then offered to address the meeting on the subject as a medium ; 

 the spirit speaking' through his lips. (This was not accepted.) 



Ever sincerely yours, Francis Galton. 

 George Darwin, Esq. 



Nov. 10th. Night. [1876] Down, Beckenhah, Kent. 



Railway Station. Orhinoton. S.E.R. 



My DEAR Galton, I have this minute finished your article in Fraser and I do not think 

 I have rea<l anything more curious in ray life. It is enough tu make one a Fatalist, 1 am in a 

 pusion with the Spectator who always muddles if it is possible to muddle. But after all he does 

 not write so odiously as I did in my letter, which you received so lieautifully. I should be glad 



' Joiimcd of ihf Royal Slatuitlra/ Sonet;/, Vol. xxxvill, pp. 153-82. I may j>crhaps be 

 permitted to add the word of warning that the danger of cou.sin marriage is luit a popular 

 scare. Any patent or latent defect is certain to be emphasised by cousin marriage as of course 

 any good characteristic. 



