A second study of the statistics of pulmonary tuberculosis : marital infection / by the late Ernest G. Pope ; edited and revised by Karl Pearson ; with an appendix on assortative mating from data reduced by Ethel M. Elderton.

  • Pope, Ernest G.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A second study of the statistics of pulmonary tuberculosis : marital infection / by the late Ernest G. Pope ; edited and revised by Karl Pearson ; with an appendix on assortative mating from data reduced by Ethel M. Elderton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    population*, but selected because they were parents of tuberculous offspring. Now if we start from the standpoint that there is no inheritance of the tuberculous diathesis we conclude at once that there is no selection in such parents ; they would form a mere random sample of the general population. On this assumption the average value of the resemblance between husband and wife in the tuberculous character falls below the value that it takes for general health, for insanity, for eye- colour, or for intelligence; it is much the same as Miss Elderton has found it to be for temper and some types of temperament. It is impossible to suppose that eye-colour is due to infection, nor at the present stage of our knowledge to attribute insanity to a communicable bacillus. Thus there is grave difficulty in assuming that the resemblance in tuberculosis—associated as the tuberculous diathesis is with note- worthy physical and mental traits—is wholly due to infection. On the other hand, if we assume—as I think we are now justified in assuming—that the tuberculous diathesis is inherited, we must treat our parents of tuberculous offspring as a selected group, and correct for this selection. This correction is a difficult but possible step, and we then find that the resemblance of husband and wife for the tuberculous character is carried at least to the verge if not sensibly beyond the limit of what we can attribute to the average action of assortative mating. We may probably assert a sensible but not very large effect of infective origin. The assertion must be made, however, with reserve and not dogmatically. If this view be accepted, then a good deal of light is thrown on the very different results as to marital infection reached by different authorities. It appears on the bulk of the existing material difficult to reach a definite demonstration of the existence of marital infection, and that demonstration largely depends on the assumption that the tuberculous diathesis is an inherited character. Admitting this we do, I think, reach a definite but not at all influential action of marital infection. I have stated these points in the belief that they represent the conclusions that would have been reached by Mr Pope had he lived to develop fully the section of his paper on assortative mating, which Dr Lawrason Brown tells me he had much on his mind. The exact history of Mr Pope’s memoir should be recorded here. Shortly after Mr Pope’s death, Dr Lawrason Brown of the Adirondack Sanitarium placed it in my hands for comment and suggestion. The paper was not wholly completed and in particular the questions of selected populations and of assortative matings required full treatment. Dr Lawrason Brown gave me finally full power to handle the memoir as I thought best. I have accordingly added the entire sections on selection and assortative mating. All paragraphs between square brackets [ ] as well as square bracket insertions in non-bracketed paragraphs are entirely due to me. In the paragraphs due to Mr Pope I have left statements which I should probably not have * I have added an additional “general population” sample provided by the Gallon Laboratory material.