ELDERLY FATHERS

Evening Star, Issue 21581, 29 November 1933, Page 5

ELDERLY FATHERS

MAW EMINENT GNILNEN The theory that the older the father ak the birth of his child the more likely ns that child to attain eminence m after life was advanced • in. the an- i thropological section, of the British As-I sociation by Mr A. F. Duftoh (Gars- : ton),- v _ e said he had circularised all the F ellows of the'Royal. Society, members or the House of Commons, , and the head mistresses of secondary schools, asking _ details of their parentage, in an endeavour to support his theory. The results of the - questionnaires .were.as follow: ■ •_ A® 6 father, 46: - Fellows of Royal Society 128, M.P.s 145,. head mistresses Age of father, 50: Fellows of Royal Society 66, M.-tUs, 62, headmistresses 51.. . - Age of father, 55: Fellows-of Royal Society 24, M.P.s 29,■, head mistresses ■ .Age of father, 60: Fellows, of Royal Society 6, M.P.s 16, head i mistresses 3, ■ • ■ *. * 1 • Age of father; 65: Felloes, of’Royal Society nil, M.P.s 4, head, mistresses nil. These showed that' the proportion of children born when; their fathers were forty-five years of age who afterwiird* attained eminence was twice the ; normal. With fathers of sixty, the (proportion was ten times -the nofnial, and with fathers of seventy, fifty times.the normal. . .. . V ! . Mr Dufton said the. QkU Testament tradition that Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born was particularly interesting in view of;the fact thaklsaaa was the founder of the Jewish face.