Abstract
IT appears to me that Prof. Weldon's argument, referred to in NATURE of July 16 (p. 245), is accurately represented in the following illustration. It might be an established fact, although it is not in reality, that there was a constant correlation between baldness and short-sightedness. Suppose that it were so, and that in a country where conscription was enforced, short-sighted men were exempt from military service; that is to say, let us suppose that a test was applied to the eyes of all men at a certain age, and that those whose vision was not normal were rejected and allowed to return to the peaceful pursuits of civilian life. These rejected men would, on the hypothesis, be all more or less bald, and according to Prof. Weldon's position, it would be quite as correct to say that they were not in the army because they were bald, as to say they were rejected on account of myopia. Now it is quite true that the officers of the army medical staff might save themselves trouble by rejecting all bald-headed men, because, on the hypothesis, all such men would be short-sighted; but it would be obviously wrong to conclude that a good development of hair was essential to military efficiency.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
CUNNINGHAM, J. The Utility of Specific Characters. Nature 54, 295 (1896). https://doi.org/10.1038/054295a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/054295a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.