MARRIAGE OF FIRST COUSINS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1305, 7 December 1911, Page 5

MARRIAGE OF FIRST COUSINS.

NATURE OF THE RISK. Food for thought for cousins who contemplate marrying one another is to l-o found in a little brochure entitled "On the Marriage of First Cousins," by Miss Ethel Eldertou, a co-worker win'i Professor Kary J'earsou at' the ('-niton Laboratory for National Eugeaics, London Universtiy (writes tho medical correspondent of the London "Daily Mail"). The guiding principlo in forbidding marriage between near kin, such asuucio' and niece, aunt and nephew, or girndparent mid grandchild, is their rcicuiJjlance. Miss Elderton accordingly set herself to determine whether cousins are as much nliko as any of these pairs of relatives. From nearly six thousand peirs ot cousins sho endeavoured to ninasuro the degree of resemblance in health, intelligent:, success, temper, and temperament. I'ho likenesses are found to be pcates-t in intelligence and health, aud least in torn nor.

Roughly speaking, the general resemblance between cousins is about half that between brother and sister, and practically the same as that shown by statistics oi uncles and nieces and of aunts and nephews. "If tho undesirability of marriage within certain degrees is founded on. tho closeness of resemblance between individuals,'' says Miss Eldertou, "tho law which forbids the mariaso of undo and aunt with niece am: ueplirw should nlso restrict tho marriage of iir'-t cousins.

Tho offspring of cousin marriages appear to bo particularly liablo to "bo doaf mutes. Thoro soems little doubt that if there is any deaf mutism in a stock, a cousm marrisgo, oven when both parties aro free from tho disease, is most dangerous to tho off?orin» ''

ETer been irrib.blo all day-didn't W?r7-,i 0 s b< J ca ' 150 ,°. £ a throbbing headache. nceda t bo—Stearns' Advt ° 6 ' ,U ' ; * ou "'eiit.— The Union of South Africa, which includes the Transvaal, Capo Colomand Oraniro Free State h-iq n population of G,000,000 people. '