The authors describe the case of two 13 year-old MZ female twins showing concordant torticollis of the « schisosynostotic » type, and the case of two 24 year-old MZ ma'e twins, affected with concordant anisocoria and discordant torticollis of the « dysmorphic » type. On the basis of a general discussion the authors believe that torticollis fills into the malformations of the axial skeleton, in which two main groups may be identified: a first group of schisosynostotic malformations, including osseous torticollis, Klippel-Feil's syndrome, Sprengel's syndrome, and other related conditions; a second group of dysmorphic malformations, probably connected to the status dysraphicus from a pathogenetic point of view.

In two sisters a female pseudohermaphroditism was found, due to constitutional hyperplasia of the adrenal glands. The typical alterations of external genitals already present at birth were associated with an early appearance of secondary sexual characters of the male type and exaggerated expulsion of the 17 urinary ketosteroids.

There were signs of a deficiency of mineral-and glycogen-active hormones, but they were not such as to give clinic manifestations.

In one of the patients the amputation of one third of both adrenal glands caused a transitory improvement.

The familiality observed in these cases leads the authors to assume a hereditary transmission of the recessive type.

The clinical observation demonstrates that Arthrosis, Varicous Veins, Hernia, Epistaxis juvenilis recidivans and spontaneous Ecchymosis appear very frequently associated in a same subject. Nevertheless the validity of this association among these clinical pictures could be invalidated if one could demonstrate the association itself is due to the influence of age.

A research has been accomplished on 413 subjects, 156 men and 257 women, at the purpose of seeking out the influence that age can have on the rising and above all on the association of these manifestations.

The AA. have elaborated the data by use of the common correlation coefficient, of the partial correlation coefficient, with age kept constant, and of the factorial analysis.

The results can be so summarized:

1. there is a positive correlation among the various clinical pictures (table 3).

2. No manifestation shows a significant correlation with age, excepting arthrosis (table 4).

3. After the elimination of the influence of age, the correlation is still significant (table 5).

4. The factorial analysis brings the existence of a factor joint with the various manifestations and indipendent of age into evidence (table 6).

The results of this research strenghten the clinical reality of the mesenchymosic diathesis.

The pathogenetic common factor conditioning the rising and the association of these manifestations is most likely to be sought in changes of the biochemical state of connective tissue wich causes the output of a connective less apt to the support and easier predisposed to wear out. With the genetic factor other situations have therefore a particular interest, first in this group are the endocrines ones, wich effect variously the penetrance and espressivity of the gene and so the unset and evolution of the Mesenchymosis.

The AA. underline, once more, that this syndromic group is to be kept distinctly separated from the other large group of diseases of connective tissue i.e. the socalled reactive mesenchymopathic diseases or rnesenchymitis (not properly called collagen diseases or collagenosis and by some even mesenchymosis). That is definitively different, because the inflammatory nature, from the mesenchymosic diathesis (or heredo-constitutional Mesenchymosis) wich is due to changes of the supporting function of the tissues of mesenchymal origin.

A survey of the existing literature on the subject reveals that this anatomical variation has been even recently considered as morbid form. All the known information, however incomplete, concerning the shape, frequency, distribution according to sex and age, time of onset and development of the formation, is reported.

Little is known concerning the etiology of this hypertrophy: it has appeared as linked with race groups (Eskimo, American Indians, Mongols) and with family groups.

This appears to be substantiated by the observations — herein reported — made on 12 twin pairs, of which 9 are MZ and 3 are DZ. All nine MZ pairs are concordant as to torus; one of the three DZ pairs is already discordant.

As the concordance of MZ twins for a single trait generally indicates that it is inherited, we can consider tours palatinus as a morphological variation of a hereditary genie trait peculiar of some race — and family — groups.

The Authors report detailed observations on a set of triplets analyzed by means of the Rorschach test as well as by Buck's drawing test. The findings prove the importance of this research in pointing out — with more detail than by current clinical methods — the original traits of the mind of each individual in this set of triplets.

During the World Twin Congress held at Eindhoven (Netherlands) in 1957 we tested 70 pairs of identical twins for their ability to taste para-ethoxyphenylthiocarbamide (EPTC). In 2 pairs a clear intra-pair discrepancy of taste was encountered. The tests with these 2 pairs were continued weekly for about six months. The result was always the same. One member of the pair found a bitter taste even in a solution 1:320,000 of EPTC; the other member considered even a solution 1:5,000 of this compound, i.e. a solution of the «taste blindness threshold concentration», completely tasteless. The former is a «taster», the latter is a «non-taster».

A similar intra-pair discrepancy in taste with regard to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) in pairs of identical twins has been found by Ardashnikov c.s. and by Rife.

The ability to taste certain thiocarbamides without doubt being a hereditary property, the discrepancy of taste found must have an exogenic cause, the nature of which is unknown.

The fact in question is discussed on the basis of the well-established bimodality of the taste threshold concentration/frequency curve for thiocarbamides. It is pointed out that the «non-tasters» of the pairs of identical twins under consideration must be regarded as «crypto tasters». Their taste threshold concentration lies on the «wrong» side of the (more or less arbitrarily adopted) «taste blindness threshold concentration» (1:5,000 for EPTC and PTC).

The consequences of the existence of «crypto tasters» and also «crypto non-tasters» for work in the field of genetics with the aid of appropriate thiocarbamides are briefly indicated.

In this preliminary report the question of the inheritance of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is discussed. Through systematic search within the province of Westphalia and especially in the District of Münster, we found 251 index cases out of a population of about 250.000 neuro-psychiatric patients observed during the last 30 years. This material is being analysed from a clinical as well as from a genetic standpoint. The family study will be a basis for determination of the mode of inheritance. As for the sporadic cases of Charcot's disease, the effect of mutations must be taken into consideration.