136 The Third and Fourth Generation 



commonly in asylums. Often, however, the 

 inherited insanity does not manifest itself until 

 past middle life, when they have already 

 married and started a family. Moreover, 

 those hybrid individuals in whom the insane 

 tendency is present alongside of the normal 

 determiner appear as normal individuals. Fre- 

 quently they can be detected only by an 

 examination of the pedigree. If such individ- 

 uals mate, one-fourth of the offspring would be 

 expected to be insane. 



Early modern European history centers 

 about the doings of a few great men and 

 women. Peter the Great of Russia, Ferdinand 

 and Isabella and Charles V of Spain, Frederick 

 the Great of Prussia, Gustavus Adolphus 

 and Charles XII of Sweden, are among the 

 most brUhant of these potent individuals that 

 shaped the destinies of Europe during this 

 period. It is interesting to note how their 

 characters are determined (and through them 

 national destinies are apparently decided in 

 no small measure) by the hereditary concentra- 

 tion of abUity due to lucky royal matings, 



