Two of a Kind

Identical twins, born of the same egg,* are seldom reared separately. Hence Horatio Hackett Newman, professor of zoology & embryology at the University of Chicago, rejoiced last week because he had such a pair under observation: two 19-year-old girls called discreetly A and O. They were born in London, lost their parents at 18 months. A's foster parents raised her in stodgy London, O's in a small Ontario town. Both received similar education. Recently A joined O. Theoretically and according to previous observations identical twins should be mirror images of each other (TIME, April 9, 1928). A's and O's conduct agree with this. Both have hasty tempers. They have similar likes and dislikes. They worry about the same things. But mentally Ontario O is two years older than London A. Their case points answers to two moot points: heredity governs emotions; environment, intelligence. Couples planning to adopt orphans and concerned with the children's dispositions, by inference would do well to study their ancestral points. Foster parents intent only on raising intelligent children may pick foundlings at confident random.

*Identical twins are invariably of the same sex. Fraternal twins, born of separate ova, may differ in sex. Siamese twins are identical twins, but not severed in embryo.