LECTURE VIP— Part I 



GALTON AND THE STATISTICAL STUDY OF INHERITANCE 



To talk about inheritance is much easier than to study it. Of 

 the books and essays which meet us at every turn few have much 

 basis in research, but among the few are those of Francis Galton. 

 His works, which have appeared at intervals during the past twenty 

 years, are not speculations, but studies. They describe long and 

 thorough investigations, carried out by rigorous methods, in lines 

 laid down on a plan which has been matured with great care and 

 forethought. 



The simplicity of their language is as notable as their substance. 

 Dealing with conceptions which are both new and abstruse, their 

 author finds our mother tongue rich enough for all his needs, 

 and while the reasoning often taxes all our powers, there is never 

 any doubt as to the meaning of the words. 



When, in rare cases, a technical term is inevitable, some famil- 

 iar word is chosen with so much aptness that it does its duty, and 

 presents the new conception better than any which half a dozen 

 dead languages could afford. The terms, " mid-parent " or " mid," 

 "fraternity," "nurture," and "Q" cannot mislead or convey any 

 idea except the right one. 



My own debt to Galton is great, and it is acknowledged with 

 gratitude. Such acquaintance with the statistical method as I 

 possess, I owe to the study of these books, especially the ones 

 on "Hereditary Genius" (1869), on "Natural Inheritance" (1889), 

 and on "Finger Prints" (1892). 



My attempt to question Galton's generalizations may therefore 

 seem ungracious and presumptuous, but the uncertainties of vital 



1 A review of the works of Francis Galton; reprinted from the Popular Science Monthly 

 for February and March, 1896. 



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