Eugenics as a Creed and the Last Decade of Galton's Life 277 



developments at the office, or to suggestions and criticisms touching the 

 biographer's researches. I give three illustrations to show how keenly alive 

 he still remained to all going on in our joint field of work. 



42, Rutland Gatk, S.W. May 31, 1905. 



My dkar Karl Pearson, If your timely and most useful article on Dr Diem's material 

 in the Brit. Med. Journ. is intended to start an organised inquiry, towards which I can in any 

 way help, pray command me. It is just one of the things I want to see done. Quere, a reason- 

 able plan would be to reprint your article in a pamphlet form, with tables to show exactly 

 what is wanted, and after preparing the way a little to circulate it judiciously. Is there not 

 an error — at all events the sentence requires explanation — in " Dr Diem's tables show that 

 nervous disorders are more numerous in the parentages of the sane than in those of the insane " ? 

 What are "nervous disorders"? Or are sane and insane transposed*? If a pamphlet were 

 circulated the meaning of the phrases 1 to 5 in Dr Diem's and your list should be defined in it. 

 As, for example " want of mental balance " ! We are all of us so mad ! How mad must we 

 be to justify the epithet of " unbalanced mind "1 Parental and fraternal histories ought to be 

 easily accessible among the insane and feeble-minded, and among the sane still more so. But 

 in the latter case there are often skeletons hid in closets. One seems to want corroboration of 

 what is said by others who have known the family intimately. Biographers hb so much. I have 

 just been reading one that includes two letters praising a man as a gentle angel, whom I recol- 

 lect as a red pimple-faced obstreperous and most eccentric schoolmaster in my very early days. 

 Where is truth to be found ? Ever yours sincerely, Francis Galton. 



This research was not at the time pushed further. What is essential to 

 the effective study of the heredity of insanity is a register of the persons in 

 the kingdom who have at any time in their life been in an asylum (and of 

 course it must state from what type of mental disease); at present we can 

 only guess what percentage of the population has been certified at any time 

 as insane. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. July 27, 1905. 



My dear Karl Pearson, I kept your letter the last to open, as I dreaded it would 

 contain a grave and well merited rebuke, but it did not, and the motive for the rebuke is 

 happily dissipated. It was the announcement by Murray that he was about to publish eugenic 

 matter for the University of London before he had received authority to do so. It was a 

 stupid blunder of his, for which he wrote a most penitent letter that was laid before the 

 members of the Senate yesterday, who have condoned it — for their resolution in the University 

 Intelligence, p. 7, of to-day's Times puts all on a solid footing. The material in question 

 consists of 65 Noteworthy Families in Modern Science, and " is to appear as Vol. I of the 

 publications of the Eugenics Record Office." This is a big recognition in my opinion. Murray 



is pleased to publish on the i profit system I envy the old biometric teast, but everything 



"dehisces." I go north on Saturday towards and then to Westmoreland; Eva Biggs goes south 

 to Devon, and in the 3" 1 week of August we reunite at Ockham. 



Last Monday and Tuesday evenings we spent at that wonderful air-cure Hindhead, where 

 I had the great pleasure of seeing again Mrs Tyndall, who lives in the house her husband 

 (Prof. Tyndall) built. 



* If " nervous disorders " be used in the sense of slight nervous troubles, hysteria, excit- 

 ability or depression, far short of insanity, the explanation may be that in the case of stocks 

 tainted with insanity, these cases are intensified and the sufferers become actually insane. 



t For some years Francis Galton and his niece had come within reach of the biometric 

 holiday workers for a few weeks in the summer. We were often some distance from each other 

 as at Bibury, Witney and Oxford. The morning was given to work, then the victoria carried 

 our leader and bicycles the remainder of the party to some inn, in a village if possible with 

 a beautiful church, and there was a biometric tea, at which discussion turned not wholly on 

 work. 



