Intermarriage, or, How and why beauty, health and intellect result from certain unions, and deformity, disease and insanity from others / by Alexander Walker.

  • Walker, Alexander
Date:
1897
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Intermarriage, or, How and why beauty, health and intellect result from certain unions, and deformity, disease and insanity from others / by Alexander Walker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    organs of passion, volition, &c., with tiie male sex ; the maternal organs of passion, volition, &c., with the female sex. When, moreover, it is considered how much of modification is caused bv the combination of functions, as in the case of %> different sexes with similar features, it will easily be seen to what varietv of asnect, in the same family, this must lead. But it is necessary I should explain the causes of the more minute differences which we observe in the features of the children who present these general resemblances to the same parent. For some previous vague remarks, then, I would substitute a more definite doctrine ; and that doctrine as to the details of resemblance is even essential to establish the sufficiency of this first law in its most minute applications. A lady one day said to me, “ In my own children I see an illustration of the general truth of your law : some of them resemble me in the forehead, osseous face, organs of sense, &c., and their father in backheaa and figure ; but why do those who resemble me in face differ somewhat from each other in particular organs of sense and features?'’ The question was rational and clever. A regard for pro- priety prevented my giving an explicit answer: I could only say, “ Observe that all these differences in features are mere modifications of your own—such modifications as vou vourself might assume under the influence of different emotions—such modifications as you actually have assumed, and therefore have, in these very instances, communicated.’’ To explain this most important and interesting point more methodically and in detail.—The reader has seen that organi- zation and function are communicated from parents to progeny; he knows that each distinct organization must produce function equally distinct; he knows that function always reacts on organization, as is shown by the improved forms which well- directed exercise produces on one hand, and by the deteriora- tions which labour causes on the other ; he has seen that the practice of performing certain acts in parents gives a distinct