OCTOBEK 8, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



495 



ing the non-Mendelian inheritance of albinism 

 be published. To this she has replied that this 

 data " in no way affects the transmission of 

 cancer." I can only add that when one in- 

 vestigator suggests a revolutionary hypothesis 

 which is contrary to the experimental results 

 obtained by a large number of investigators in 

 the same field, it is customary to present with 

 the hypothesis the data on which it depends 

 for its support. 



Dr. Slye is right when she says in speaking 

 of heredity. 



Exceptions to what was the canon have become 

 so numerous as to be part of the rule. 



One of the few points, however, on which all 

 Mendelians, rabid or only semi-rabid, are 

 agreed is that a homozygote forms one type of 

 gamete in respect to the .pair lof factors 

 for which it is homozygous. This is the prin- 

 ciple which by diagrams and text Dr. Slye de- 

 nies. Is it not fair to those who have not ob- 

 served the type of inheritance mentioned by 

 Slye to once more request the publication of 

 the complete data on which this type of in- 

 heritance rests? 0. 0. Little 



Harvard Medical School, 

 September 1, 1915 



THE HEREDITY OF STATURE 



To THE Editor of Science : The undersigned 

 is making a study of the heredity of the ele- 

 ments of stature and desires the cooperation 

 of those who are in a position to give it. 



The first requirement is a household with 

 both parents and at least two children above 

 the age of 16 years; the more children above 

 this age the better. If one or more grand- 

 parents, uncles and aunts are available they 

 should be included in the study. The second 

 requirement is a tape, if possible, 6 feet long, 

 but a yard tape will do. 



The procedure is to rule columns on ordinary 

 writing paper, one column each for father, 

 mother, each child and also each grandparent 

 or uncle or aunt who may be available. The first 

 horizontal line will be for sex ; the second for age 

 and the following four for the four measures. 

 Then measure and record for each person: 1, 

 total stature (without shoes) ; 2, sitting height; 



3, height of top of fibula above sole of foot and, 



4, vertical distance from vertex of head to de- 

 pression at upper end of sternum (between the 

 collar bones). The only suggestions are: (1) 

 The stature may be taken standing against a 

 door frame; the subject looking straight for- 

 ward, a book is placed, binding downward, 

 against the top of the head and square with 

 the wall; mark the level of the book on the 

 door frame and measure down to the floor. (2) 

 Place the chair by the door frame; place subject 

 sitting upright in chair, his back against door 

 frame ; indicate level of vertex in same fashion 

 as in standing height and measure from mark 

 to the level of the seat of the chair. (3) The 

 top of the fibula is easily felt on outside of 

 knee as a bony prominence from which a 

 tendon runs to the thigh. (4) The head-and- 

 neck measurement is to be strictly vertical. 

 Place the end of tape in the book; close the 

 book so that the mark is flush with the bind- 

 ing. The subject standing by wall, place book 

 square against wall; then measure down along 

 side of the nose to the sternum. All measure- 

 ments should be recorded in J (or J) inches or 

 in centimeters. Full names are desired for 

 reference in case further correspondence is nec- 

 essary but no names will be published. 



It will be found interesting to preserve a 

 copy of tlie record but please send one copy to 

 me. If desired I will send ruled paper and a 

 tape for the measurements. 



0. B. Davenport 

 Station for Experimental Evolution, 

 Cold Spring Haebok, N. T. 



THE national ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



In Science of July 30, Professor Eichards 

 has made public a letter addressed by him to 

 the secretary of the National Academy. In 

 this letter he volunteers advice to that learned 

 body. He appears to think that it should cease 

 to exist, because it covers too wide a field. 

 Astronomers, biologists, chemists, physicists, 

 zoologists, etc., should not be provided with 

 any opportunity to mix even if they desire to 

 do so. A man who has been giving his entire 

 attention to the abdominal parasites of the 

 white ant, should present his results to a so- 

 ciety covering that ground only. 



