Seven ambitious brothers and how they bred a race of kings / editor: Henry Smith Williams, M.D., LL.D.
- Date:
- [1914]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Seven ambitious brothers and how they bred a race of kings / editor: Henry Smith Williams, M.D., LL.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![ies in three important phases. They had (1) restricted the number of des- cendants, through preventing the birth of super- numerary children; (2) they had wisely selected able mates for the procreating member of the family; (3) and they had concentrated the family estates and talents by judicious inbreeding—that is to say by the union of cousins. Now note the sequel of this remarkable prac- tice of eugenic principles. The son of the erstwhile Bishop of Osnabruck and his brilliant wife be- came King of one country (George I of England), and their daughter became Queen of another (Sophia Charlotte of Prussia). Their direct lineal descendants to-day occupy the thrones of England, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Greece, and numerous minor principalities. As a direct sequel of that conclave of the seven ambitious brothers, their little estate became the cradle of monarchs. The self-abnegation practiced by the six brothers bore fruit that exalted their family from the con- trol of a petty dukedom to the rank of kings and emperors. And it was no blind chance that brought about this extraordinary advancement. It was the con- scious application of laws of heredity which are followed all over the world in the breeding of do- mestic animals, but which have been for the most [4]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33628403_0006.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
