Measurements in Schools Collateral Heredity

Abstract

I AM at present engaged on an investigation into the strength of collateral heredity, i.e. the degree of resemblance for a variety of mental and physical characters of pairs of brothers, pairs of sisters, and pairs of brothers and sisters. In this matter I cannot seek the aid of parents, for they are scarcely unbiased observers, but I have to appeal for aid to those who teach in schools, and have thus an independent and often extensive knowledge of their pupils' characters. This is very frequently combined with the scientific training and caution which renders the teacher's aid of special value. As it is necessary to obtain measurements and observations of both sexes, I have appealed to both men and women teachers, and as it is also needful to combine the sexes (in the brother-sister measurements) to those working in elementary schools, as well as in boys' public schools and in girls' high schools. The result of my appeal has been to bring me a great deal of most valuable aid. Several high schools have been dealt with, four of our chief public schools have been, or are being measured, and a considerable variety of private, elementary sand other schools. But a single public school (even of 500 to 700 boys) will often have only ten to twenty pairs of brethren, not, perhaps, as many as in a village national school, and I am most desirous of getting further help. The determination of the strength of collateral heredity is a problem of great scientific importance, and it can only be achieved by co-operative action. I have found so many teachers in all classes of schools willing to give disinterested aid in the cause of science that I venture to make a further appeal through NATURE for more assistance. Besides observations of physical and mental characters, which can be recorded without measurement, my data papers ask for certain head-measurements, which can, following the printed instructions, be taken quite easily. I shall be most glad to send sample papers to any one willing to assist, and if, after considering these, they find themselves able to assist, say by filling in data papers for ten or more pairs of brothers or sisters, I will at once despatch a head-spanner, of which I have several at the present time, free. The head-spanner should not be retained (unless under special circumstances) for more than a few weeks. Where the school is a small one, one master has, as a rule, filled in the papers entirely; in larger schools, one of the science masters, or even the medical officer, has done the head-measurements, and the other data have been provided by house, form or consulting masters. In the ultimate publication of the statistics all aid will be duly acknowledged, but I make the appeal for help simply on the ground that the investigation of heredity is to-day one of the most important scientific problems, and that its exact quantitative determination is well within the reach of co-operative observation.