"IDENTICAL” TWINS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20075, 16 April 1927, Page 15

"IDENTICAL” TWINS.

THE SCHOOLMASTER’S ERROR. An axtraordinary story of “ ide f tical” twins is related by Dr G. P. Crowden, of the Institute of Physiology, University .College (says the London Daily Chronicle), xfey are Mr G. Ellis and Mr L. Ellis of Ealing, now 26, and both are connected with their father’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 bo measured. Born in India, they were brought to England at 18 months, as they were delicate. During infancy tney 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 They Imd—and still have —the same lino of thought when subject to the same environment. as is illustrated by the fact that on one occasion they were accused ot cheating in an examination in mathematics, because they both made the same mistake in the same problem. Ihoir characters wore cleared, however, by their lorm master, who reported that they were sealed 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 chose engineering as a career, but both abandoned it nt 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, thoir eyes are an identical shade ol blue, 'their skins 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 Crowden is nmv anxious to investigate <he records of iflentical” twins who are separated soon after birth. Hv such a comparison much light could be thrown on the relative powers of heredity and environment. “Identical” twins start life as one individual, but long before birth the germ separates itself into two. In the case of : ordinary twins th<M» few« i 1 from the outsat. ■