ONE
VIEW
HEREDITY.
OF
Augustin Prichard, F.R.C.S. Eng., M.D. Berlin, Consulting Surgeon to the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
one of
I
have
and Were
^Vell
the very many casual and pleasant little conversations had with a very good medical friend, of high standing,
hailing, talking
district north of Bristol, we of the well-known effect of heredity in the moral as I
imagine,
from
some
in the
physical constitution of man, a fact generally acknowledged by the use of such expressions as A chip of the ?ld block," &c.; and he propounded, perhaps not quite seriously, ^he doctrine that the right treatment and punishment for the ^abitual criminal (by which is understood that numerous class men who spend their lives in prison, being committed again afid again for the same offence, after having been free probably r ?nly a few days) would be the operation of castration. This as
"
^V?uld, at race>
as
any rate, interfere with the continuation of the vicious far as that individual was concerned; and I agreed
^Vlth his idea.
But where did he
get the notion
?
Where could
Government strong enough to propose such a remedy ? e very existence of such a law among our statutes would ^ rtself deter many from crime. Is it a practical or practicable uggestion ? That it would sensibly and materially lessen the a
dumber
of the
atever;
population, there can be no doubt begin at the right end of the difficulty of supply children who, from their surroundings, criminal
Jy stopping the
and it would
^r?m ^le ineyitable
?st of
^arents; J
have rne>
inherited taint in their
blood, would follow the vicious steps of their
necessit)' grow UP to no microscope will
and
in my
possession
a
little
ever
find the germ of this
parchment-bound
duodecimo
of Scotland, Ireland, and Scandibeing " > : 1027 Scotia;, Hibernia; et Svecia Dcscriptio; Lugd. Bat. ^ CXXVII." The Irish people in early times, according an
account
8
*
MR.
92
AUGUSTIN
PRICHARD
ON
HEREDITY.
to this writer, sufficiently resembled the present inhabitants of the country to be a convincing proof of heredity after all these centuries. With reference to the climate, the author says that
it is
so
damp
that strangers, when
diarrhoea and
to
dysentery,
"
they
for the
first
cure
subject
come, are
of which, however,
certain wholesome aqua vita (uskebach 1 vocat);" and the inhabitants are divided into two parts; namely, those who " refuse to obey the laws, and live in an uncivilised way
they
have
a
(vulgo Wilde Irish, id est, sylvestres Hibemici, vocantur), and others who recognise the power of the laws, and live in a civilised way on the eastern and more fertile part of the country (The English Pale)." But it is principally on account of the description of the inhabitants of Scotland and their customs, as given by this old writer, whose book seems to be chiefly a compilation from other and older sources, that I have referred to this subjectHe speaks of the bravery of the Scotch, of their fondness fof variegated and striped coloured cloaks, and says: "In victih vestitu, totaque rei domestica ratione, antiqua utuntur parsimonia." He describes their love of sport, but he alludes to the Highlanders of old times "
nation of savages: going out to battle they as a
dipped the points of their swords in the blood of the first animal they met, and tasted it> I11 and this was considered a pledge of prosperity. on their as in well as their wars, carrying private quarrels* they did nothing by deceit or fraud, thinking it noble to figh* and conquer in open battle; and they considered it base to conceal their enmitj' by flattering speeches and afterwards to When
...
attack those who
were
unprepared
.
.
.
."
And then conie5
statement, which induced me to give an accou^ of this old book in these pages, which are generally with scientific and useful work : " Men who had been foufl^
the
following
occupy
to be
suffering from epilepsy, idiocy, mani3' disease, which could easily be transmitted to theif offspring, were castrated, that the race should not be contain1' after much
or
inquiry
any similar
nated i
by
foul
contagion by
An old Irish word,
"whisky." ,
meaning
those who "water of
might
life,"
the
them' the vvo^
be born to
original
of
TORQUAY.
and
93
found to be infected with any of these diseases, or with leprosy, were kept far away from any association with men; but if one of these be found to have conceived, she was buried alive with her unborn child; and, to prevent who
women
disgrace
to their
mandisers,
were
country, gluttons, unnatural feeders and gor-
and habitual drunkards
were
punished
in
a
mild
and way (rnitl supplicio extcrminarunt), being drink as much as they liked, and then drowned in the river." first allowed to eat
I cannot
my friend
criminals us
to
fairly suggest
that
make his remark
a
far-fetched
heredity
induced
the treatment of habitual ask credit for all that is told
on
any more than I can ?f the barbarous habits of his remote ancestors.
VIEW
HEREDITY.
OF
Augustin Prichard, F.R.C.S. Eng., M.D. Berlin, Consulting Surgeon to the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
one of
I
have
and Were
^Vell
the very many casual and pleasant little conversations had with a very good medical friend, of high standing,
hailing, talking
district north of Bristol, we of the well-known effect of heredity in the moral as I
imagine,
from
some
in the
physical constitution of man, a fact generally acknowledged by the use of such expressions as A chip of the ?ld block," &c.; and he propounded, perhaps not quite seriously, ^he doctrine that the right treatment and punishment for the ^abitual criminal (by which is understood that numerous class men who spend their lives in prison, being committed again afid again for the same offence, after having been free probably r ?nly a few days) would be the operation of castration. This as
"
^V?uld, at race>
as
any rate, interfere with the continuation of the vicious far as that individual was concerned; and I agreed
^Vlth his idea.
But where did he
get the notion
?
Where could
Government strong enough to propose such a remedy ? e very existence of such a law among our statutes would ^ rtself deter many from crime. Is it a practical or practicable uggestion ? That it would sensibly and materially lessen the a
dumber
of the
atever;
population, there can be no doubt begin at the right end of the difficulty of supply children who, from their surroundings, criminal
Jy stopping the
and it would
^r?m ^le ineyitable
?st of
^arents; J
have rne>
inherited taint in their
blood, would follow the vicious steps of their
necessit)' grow UP to no microscope will
and
in my
possession
a
little
ever
find the germ of this
parchment-bound
duodecimo
of Scotland, Ireland, and Scandibeing " > : 1027 Scotia;, Hibernia; et Svecia Dcscriptio; Lugd. Bat. ^ CXXVII." The Irish people in early times, according an
account
8
*
MR.
92
AUGUSTIN
PRICHARD
ON
HEREDITY.
to this writer, sufficiently resembled the present inhabitants of the country to be a convincing proof of heredity after all these centuries. With reference to the climate, the author says that
it is
so
damp
that strangers, when
diarrhoea and
to
dysentery,
"
they
for the
first
cure
subject
come, are
of which, however,
certain wholesome aqua vita (uskebach 1 vocat);" and the inhabitants are divided into two parts; namely, those who " refuse to obey the laws, and live in an uncivilised way
they
have
a
(vulgo Wilde Irish, id est, sylvestres Hibemici, vocantur), and others who recognise the power of the laws, and live in a civilised way on the eastern and more fertile part of the country (The English Pale)." But it is principally on account of the description of the inhabitants of Scotland and their customs, as given by this old writer, whose book seems to be chiefly a compilation from other and older sources, that I have referred to this subjectHe speaks of the bravery of the Scotch, of their fondness fof variegated and striped coloured cloaks, and says: "In victih vestitu, totaque rei domestica ratione, antiqua utuntur parsimonia." He describes their love of sport, but he alludes to the Highlanders of old times "
nation of savages: going out to battle they as a
dipped the points of their swords in the blood of the first animal they met, and tasted it> I11 and this was considered a pledge of prosperity. on their as in well as their wars, carrying private quarrels* they did nothing by deceit or fraud, thinking it noble to figh* and conquer in open battle; and they considered it base to conceal their enmitj' by flattering speeches and afterwards to When
...
attack those who
were
unprepared
.
.
.
."
And then conie5
statement, which induced me to give an accou^ of this old book in these pages, which are generally with scientific and useful work : " Men who had been foufl^
the
following
occupy
to be
suffering from epilepsy, idiocy, mani3' disease, which could easily be transmitted to theif offspring, were castrated, that the race should not be contain1' after much
or
inquiry
any similar
nated i
by
foul
contagion by
An old Irish word,
"whisky." ,
meaning
those who "water of
might
life,"
the
them' the vvo^
be born to
original
of
TORQUAY.
and
93
found to be infected with any of these diseases, or with leprosy, were kept far away from any association with men; but if one of these be found to have conceived, she was buried alive with her unborn child; and, to prevent who
women
disgrace
to their
mandisers,
were
country, gluttons, unnatural feeders and gor-
and habitual drunkards
were
punished
in
a
mild
and way (rnitl supplicio extcrminarunt), being drink as much as they liked, and then drowned in the river." first allowed to eat
I cannot
my friend
criminals us
to
fairly suggest
that
make his remark
a
far-fetched
heredity
induced
the treatment of habitual ask credit for all that is told
on
any more than I can ?f the barbarous habits of his remote ancestors.
