Dear Sir:

Your very kind letter of Feb. 16 was duly received, and I at once set about procuring information concerning the Case of wh. I wrote you.¹ One of my assistants was intimate with the family, and I asked her to find out for me all she could regarding their singular peculiarity.² Like all matters that are entrusted to other people to transact, the report was not so full nor so accurate as I could wish, yet the main facts are sufficiently complete, I think, to be worth recording.

The gentleman’s name is E.B. Jones of Auburn N.Y. of American birth, and now about 75 yrs. old His hair began to turn gray at 20 and in the course of four or five years became perfectly white. The hair seemed otherwise healthy, and is now quite heavy. His wife’s hair was dark, and now at the age of 70 is but slightly sprinkled with gray. They have four children, who are now grown to womanhood.³ The eldest began to turn gray at about 20, and at 30, her hair was perfectly white   One of the younger sisters,—I did not learn which,—began to be gray at the same age as her sister, and her hair is now almost white; only a few dark hairs remaining.

The remaining two children do not seem to have inherited the peculiarity at all.

Another remarkable feature, which I have learned in regard to this case, is that two Aunts of Mr Jones, on his Mother’s side began to turn gray at an early age, so that at middle life their hair was white also. I regret that the information was not more definite on this point; for I can see that much of the value of the case would depend on the age at which the change happened. Mr. J. described the turning of his hair at that age as a “family peculiarity” and I inferred that his Aunt’s hair turned at very nearly the age that his own did. His eldest grand-daughter, the daughter of the eldest daughter referred to above,⁴ is now about 14 or 15 yrs old, and of course, too young to exhibit the peculiarity if she has inherited it.

Since writing you before, it has occurred to me that there is a little peculiarity in my own family that may interest you. My Grandfather on my Mother’s side Mr. A. Marcy, of Burlington, Otsego Co. N.Y.⁵ had very peculiar thumbs, which had very narrow nails, and were short and thick something like the following rough sketch: He had four children, the first three being girls and the fourth a boy, all of whom grew to maturity.⁶ The eldest girl Sarah had both thumbs like her father, the second child was normal, the third Esther had one deformed thumb, and the boy Newton was normal   Sarah had four Children: a girl, a boy, then two girls   The first and second girls had deformed thumbs on both hands,—the other children were normal. The eldest girl, my cousin, was married at eighteen, and now has one boy, both of whose thumbs are normal. Of the rest of my grandfather’s family, Esther (my Mother) had four children all of whom were normal, and Newton five all of whom were also normal. The other Aunt had no children. I have taken considerable pains find out whether the deformity originated with my grandfather, All his children testify that he often said the deformity began when he was a lad, and was caused by the cracking of the skin from exposure to cold aided by some skin disease. The thumbs swelled badly and remained in that condition for a long time, and when they healed at last they were misshapen and had always remained so. Be this as it may, there is no evidence that the deformity was inherited. Six of his brother’s & sisters lived to have families,—one had twelve, one thirteen, one five, one four, and two of them, two apiece but neither the brothers and sisters, or their children exhibited the peculiarity in any case.

This particular instance, then, seemed to me interesting as showing that an accidental physical injury might be transmitted for at least two generations. It will not be necessary for me to say that my knowledge of the subject of heredity is very limited, and therefore, if my speculations betray ignorance of what is well known by scientists, you will excuse it. But regarding insanity as a purely physical manifestation,—as the result of some brain lesion,—or change of structure in the brain, it would be interesting to trace to the effect of a blow on the head, for instance, some possible case of hereditary insanity. Of course, I do not know that any such thing ever has occurred, but I should think the records of Lunatic Asylums might throw valuable light upon the transmission of accidental injuries or malformations, and thus indirectly illustrate heredity as an important element of Evolution.

I did not know of any way to get these facts permanently recorded in this country, and so I have given you names in full, that you might be able to verify statements if necessary. If you should think best to use these facts in any way, I would prefer that the names (i.e the family names) should not be given to the public.

Not being used to recording matters of this nature, it may be that essential particulars have been omitted. If so I shall be glad to give any information in my power at any time.

Very respectfully yours. | I. P. Bishop