Show I Knowledge of Heredity as an Aid AidIn AidIn II In Prolonging Life and Health WASHINGTON Feb 11 S. S S. S S.- S. How low a knowledge of heredity may help to protect people from rom diseases and nd untimely death is explained by Dr r. r Charles B. B Davenport of the Carnegie institution of Washington Dr Davenport says that constitution constitution tion ion as well as germs plays a part inthe In Inthe the he development of disease although this fact has been overlooked in re recent recent recent re- re cent years Today the pendulum is swinging back largely on account of modern modem studies he sa says s First of all it has been clearly shown by Alexander Graham Bell Beli Belland Belland and others that there Is inheritance of lon longevity If both your parents have lave lived to be over 80 years of age you OU will probably live to be over 53 while If Jf both parents died under 60 years the average age of the children is only 33 Now in a world ful of ot hazards of infections longevity longevity lon ion can only mean great bodily resistance re- re to germs that incite diseases Heredity is exceedingly tant in the resistance of plants to disease as has been shown mentally Thus some years ago the sugar industry was menaced by the mosaic disease which in some years wiped out whole plantations of sugar cane An East Indian Java cone cane has proved to be highly res resistant Is tan t to this disease and has saved the industry The germs of mosaic have not been eliminated but genetic immunity has been bred into the sugar cane Many similar cases are known to plant breeders These considerations should bring hope to the constitutionally weak and point a moral to those who wish their children to be constitutionally strong resistant effective in a world where the conditions cannot always be the best The hope lies in m this that if a person with a constitutional weakness weakness weakness weak weak- ness early learns of ot that weakness and persistently keeps himself himsel in fri an optimal environment he may live livelong livelong long Where in the scheme of at health does docs heredity come Constitution is the great fact that we must nize Most of us have a constitution that is sufficient for most purposes and which will last for seven or more decades For those with some constitutional constitutional con con- limitation it Is necessary to know now first what that limitation is and to adapt ones one's life life including Including ones one's biochemical life life to to it Every parent should know these limitations of or his children how to protect the child from disharmony between constitution and environment environment environ environ- ment merit and how to restore any threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened disha disharmony rm any A knowledge of heredity of the patient i is necessary to the best results bv b br the physician A A. knowledge of one s a own heredity is i necessary for the more effective conduct of ot life Know thyself especially especially espe espe- daily know thy constitution and its limitations Finally in marriage mating careful careful careful care care- ful consideration should be given to constitution Of course one will hardly marry marlY a physical or oi mental wreck but one should go co farther than that It is undesirable for the deaf to marry the deaf deal for two nearsighted nearsighted nearsighted near near- sighted or two overactive persons to tom m marry rry each other If It you have any constitutional limitation select a mate from a family that does docs not show the same leading limitation and so shall the children receive a stronger her hen tage There is a limitation to the aid that medicine can afford the weak constitution The need is indeed greater now than ever in these days of small families of at considering while selecting a mate the probable consequences to the children This is the reason for eugenics |