“IDENTICAL” TWINS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 April 1927, Page 3

“IDENTICAL” TWINS

THE SCHOOLMASTER’S ERROR.

An extraordinary story of ’’identical” twins is related by Dr G. P. C'rowden- of the Institute of Physiology, University College (says the London “Daily Chronicle”). They are Mr G. ’Ellis and Air L. Ellis, of Ealing, now 26, and both are connected with their lather’s firm as students of patent law. Since birth they have been the subject of continual scientific investigation. Never before have twins been watched with such care. Their resemblance extends not only to their size, shape, and appearance, but to their blood pressure and fingerprints —indeed, to everything that can be measured.

Born in India, they were brought to England at eighteen months, as they were delicate. During infancy they invariably had the same illnesses. At school their development, mental and physical, was so similar that their masters were at a loss to avoid putting the same remarks on both then* reports.

They had —and still have —tne same line of thought when subject to same environment, as is illustrated by the fact that on one occasion they were accused of cheating in an examination in mathematics, because they both made the same mistake ip the same problem. Their characters were cleared, however, by their form master, who reported that they were seated at opposite ends of the hall. In another examination, when they were set to draw a map of England from memory, both began and finished in exactly- the same place. At school both cliose engineering as a career, but both abandoned it at the same time for law.

To-day only by minute examination and by recording the differences is it possible to tell Mr G. Ellis from Mr L Ellis. The colour and texture of their hair are the same, their eyes are an identical shade of blue, their skips are the same colour, and both have a tendency to freckle. Having discovered that “identical” twins brought up in the same environment develop equally. Dr Crowdep ps now anxious to investigate the records of “identical” twins who are .separated soon after birth. By such a comparison much light could be thown on the relative powers of heredity apd environment. “Identical” twins start life as one individual, but lopg before birth the germ separates itself into t>vo. In the case of ordinary twips there are two individuals from the outset.