Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 4.djvu/348

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330 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

tion, were inmates of the state school for the deaf. Her oldest brother, a laborer of the lowest class, has served a term in state's prison for incest. Her father was a habitual drinker, although not a drunkard. Her mother is an overworked, underfed woman of the lowest type of German immigrants, who, as well as an older sister, has somewhat cretinoid features.

L. and L. N . Twin girls, low-grade imbeciles. One sister is an

inmate of a hospital for insane. Their father was feeble-minded. They have two brothers, also twins, both of whom are left-handed."

E. I . A high-grade imbecile girl, is dying of consumption. Her

father, mother, and four sisters have died of the same disease. One other sister is also consumptive.

J., J., J., and E. X . Three brothers and a sister, high- and middle- grade imbeciles. Their mother, who is feeble-minded, lives in a poorhouse with three younger children, the fruit of a second marriage.

M., R., and A. D . Two brothers and a sister, high-grade imbeciles,

have two first cousins, also high-grade imbeciles, in the same institution. This family has a mingled history of pauperism, imbecility, inebriety, and crime on both parental sides for several generations back.

J. B . Middle-grade imbecile boy ; has a brother of low order of intel- lect, who is a habitual criminal. His mother and grandmother were feeble- minded. His mother had five illegitimate children, all born in the county poorhouse, concerning whose paternity nothing is known.

K., S., and B. S . Two sisters and a brother, middle- and high-grade

imbeciles, are the illegitimate offspring of an imbecile woman who has spent most of her life in the county poorhouse. She has twice been married, each time to a feeble-minded man, by whom she has had other children. Her father and grandmother are known to have been inmates of the same poor- house, the defective records of which omit other members of the family who are supposed to have been inmates also. Most of the family are feeble- minded ; all are either indoor or outdoor paupers.

R. c . A high-grade idiot boy ; has one feeble-minded sister. One

uncle on maternal and one on paternal side were feeble-minded. His father is a paralytic. His mother had a numerous family, most of whom died in infancy. He is a psychopathic sexual pervert.

J., J., and E. C -. Three brothers, middle- and high-grade imbeciles.

Father was a weak-minded drunkard. One uncle was a low-grade idiot.

G. C . A high-grade imbecile girl ; was the fruit of incestuous inter- course between her mother and her mother's grandfather.

M. B . A high-grade imbecile ; epileptic and paralytic. Her mother

died of consumption one week after the birth of M.

B. I . A high-grade imbecile; epileptic and paralytic. Father very

nervous. Several deaf-mule relatives. Two epileptic aunts.

"The proportion of left-handed ness observed in pupils of institutions for feeble- minded is many times greater than in normal children.