800 



SGIENGE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 884 



to the life-work of Sir Francis Galton— to his 

 great idea that the future of mankind lies 

 largely in man's own hands, if he will but pay 

 the same attention to his own reproduction 

 that he gives to that of his cattle and his dogs. 

 The memorial to Sir Francis has taken the 

 fitting form of a building, with public mu- 

 seum, library and lecture hall, with rooms for 

 research students, for experimental work, and 

 for staff — to be called the Galton Laboratory. 

 The sum required is $70,000, of which 

 nearly $12,000 have already been subscribed by 

 Sir Francis's personal and scientific friends in 

 this country. Any one wishing to aid in this 

 memorial to a man, scarcely less noteworthy in 

 science than his cousin Charles Darwin, should 

 communicate with Sir Edward Henry Busk, 

 the treasurer to the Francis Galton Memorial 

 Fund, University of London, England. 



Karl Pearson 



an early discussion op heredity 

 I HAVE lately come across a passage which 

 seems worthy of being put on record against 

 the time when the history of opinion and dis- 

 covery in the science of heredity comes to be 

 written. It is to be found in a work entitled 

 " The Religion of Nature Delineated," by 

 William WoUaston, some time of Sidney Sus- 

 ses College at Cambridge, a member of the 

 distinguished family which has contributed so 

 largely to scientific knowledge. In Section 

 VIII. of that work, dealing with " Truths Con- 

 cerning Families and Relations," the author 

 argues that the affection which determines 

 the sense of obligation between relatives is 

 directly dependent upon the intensity of the 

 consanguinity that exists between them. Such 

 consanguinity is regarded as a physical rela- 

 tion which decreases in geometrical proportion 

 with each succeeding generation. The passage 

 would appear to be an adumbration of the 

 views subsequently elaborated by Francis Gal- 

 ton and others. I know of no earlier state- 

 ment of the quantitative aspect of hereditary 

 phenomena, but should such be known to any 

 of your readers I should be grateful for the 

 reference. The passage transcribed below is 



taken from a copy of the sixth edition of Wol- 

 laston's work which was published in 1738. 

 The book originally appeared in 1722. 



The foundation of all natural relation is laid 

 in marriage. For the husband and wife having 

 solemnly attached themselves each to other, having 

 the same children, interests, etc., become so inti- 

 mately related as to be reckoned united, one flesh, 

 and in the laws of nations many times one person. 

 Certainly they are such with respect to the pos- 

 terity, who proceed from them jointly. The chil- 

 dren of this couple are related between themselves 

 by the mediation of the parents. Tor every one of 

 them being of the same Hood with their common 

 parents, they are all of the same blood (truly 

 consanguinei) , the relations, which they respect- 

 ively bear to their parents, meeting there as in 

 their center. This is the nearest relation that can 

 be, next to those of man and wife, parents and 

 their children, who are immediately related by 

 contact or rather continuity of blood, if one may 

 speak so. The relation between the children of 

 these children grows more remote and dilute, and 

 in time wears out. For at every remove the nat- 

 ural tincture or sympathy may be supposed to be 

 weakened; if for no other reason, yet for this. 

 Every remove takes off half the common blood 

 derived from the grandparents. For let C be the 

 son of A and B, D the son of C, E ot D, F ot E 

 and let the relation ot C to A and B be as 1 

 then the relation oi D to A and B will be but i 

 because C is but one of the parents of D, and so 

 the relation ot D to A and B is but the half of 

 that, which C bears to them. By proceeding after 

 the same manner it will be found, that the relation 

 ot E to A and B is i (or half of the half), of 

 F i : and so on. So that the relation, which 

 descendents in a direct line have by blood to their 

 grandparents, decreasing thus in geometrical pro- 

 portion, the relation between them of collateral 

 lines, which passes and is made out through the 

 grandparents, must soon be reduced to an incon- 

 siderable matter. 



If then we suppose this affection or sympathy, 

 when it is permitted to act regularly and accord- 

 ing to nature, no reason intervening to exalt or 

 abate it, to operate with a strength nearly pro- 

 portionable to the quantity or degree of relation, 

 computed as above, we may perhaps nearly discern 

 the degrees of that obligation, which persons re- 

 lated lie under, to assist each other, from this 

 motive. 



R. C. PUNNETT 



