Science: Genetics of Ears

A young woman with extraordinary ears —definitely cup-shaped instead of reasonably flat—recently presented herself for examination at Chicago's Lying-in Hospital. She wanted to know whether, if she married, her children would inherit ears like hers. She had three brothers and one sister with similar cupped ears, three brothers and three sisters with normal ears. Speaking for all eleven she asked whether they were going to pass on the embarrassing abnormality to their children.

Delighted with the co-operation of such an intelligent subject, Edith Louise Potter of Lying-In's staff investigated the family history,...

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