“Absolutely.He was proposing that they could end all wars in the Middle East by eradicating more than half the population through controlled release of disease.He’d basically said that since there is so much inbreeding in the countries, there is an opportunity for weakened immune systems, certain diseases to be more deadly, and many other things.”
“Is there any truth to all that?” asked Dan.
“I can see where it might be possible.It’s common among the aristocrats of Europe.Charles II of Spain actually had a disease named for him.Habsburg Jaw.They called him El Hechizado, or The Hexed.After two centuries of intermarriage, he suffered from severe physical and mental disabilities.His jaw was so pronounced he couldn’t chew or speak clearly.
“Poor bastard,” frowned East.
“That’s not all.His tongue was enlarged, preventing from speaking properly, he suffered from a number of ailments, including hydrocephalus, epilepsy, and severe gastrointestinal issues.He didn’t even walk until he was eight years old and struggled his whole life with intellectual disabilities.
“There is a measurement we use called the inbreeding coefficient.It measures the probability that an individual inherits two alleles at a locus that are identical by descent from a common ancestor.”
“Um, alleles?” asked Logan.She smiled at him.
“An allele is a specific variant form of a gene located at a particular spot, or locus, on a chromosome, with individuals inheriting two, one from each parent.These pairs can be identical or different.Alleles determine traits by coding for variations in proteins, with dominant alleles masking recessive ones to define characteristics like eye color.It acts as a measure of genetic relatedness between parents, with higher percentages indicating increased risks of harmful genetic defects.”
“Okay, go on,” he said secretly impressed at her intelligence.
“Well, let me give you an example.The coefficient for full siblings marrying would be twenty-five percent.That’s extremely high and extremely common in Charles II’s time.The percentage is the same if a parent and child married.”
“A parent and child?” screeched Eazee with a disgusted expression.
“I’m afraid so.Half-siblings would be twelve and a half percent, still very high.An aunt or uncle with a niece or nephew is the same.First cousins are about six percent.High inbreeding leads to inbreeding depression, which includes lower fertility, reduced survival rates, and higher incidences of hereditary diseases, as harmful recessive genes are more likely to pair up.He’s basically playing with a powder keg that would already explode without his help.”
“Then why?” asked Logan.
“I’m guessing he wants to speed up the process.”
“I need for you to explain all of that to Riley and the others,” said Logan.“They’re going to want to hear what you know.”
“I feel certain that Riley and the others already know this,” said Blythe, “but I’m happy to share what I know.I only know that much because of the professor I told you about.He told some pretty crazy stories of inbreeding.It’s not just the King of Spain.The Egyptians were notorious for doing it.But also regular people.
“There was a family in Australia found with more than forty members, including children with horrible disabilities.Here in your country, a family in Kentucky, known as the Blue Flugates.Because of a rare recessive gene, many actually had a blue color to their skin.”
“Damn,” muttered Dan.
“Because of their compromised immune systems, it’s why many of these people die from simple, curable causes.They don’t normally get the usual vaccinations, so things like measles, mumps, and chicken pox can kill them.Even something as simple as the common cold or flu.Everything about them makes them at higher risk of dying.
“If these two men are able to find something that would speed their deaths, it wouldn’t take much for them to be wiped off the face of the planet.”
“Well, that’s going to make breakfast hit a little harder in the gut,” frowned East.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a shy grin.“As a doctor, I find it fascinating and I’d love to say we can change it.But you’re talking about hundreds, sometimes thousands of years of thinking.The goal is to keep their bloodlines ‘pure’.Except they don’t understand that it’s actually tainting their bloodlines.I would guess they discovered that my sister’s coefficient was extremely low.Most likely less than one-percent given the generations back that married even distant cousins.It doesn’t change the fact that they took her organs without permission.”
“No, it doesn’t and we’ll make sure to address that with him face-to-face,” said Logan.“Come on.Let’s get some food and we can speak to the rest of the research team.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I have to admit, Blythe, you’ve taught me a few things over coffee this morning,” smiled Riley.“I studied genetics as it related to cancer but not extensively for other reasons.We don’t see a lot of cases of disease or deformity due to inbreeding.”
“Unfortunately, it’s still very common in some countries,” she nodded.“It was something my parents made me acutely aware of.They were worried about returning when my grandmother died but thought for certain no one would care.They were wrong.
“Many have changed their minds about the practice but in remote areas, some tribal leaders still believe it’s best to marry within the family.Did you know that while all states prohibit marriage between close relatives, such as parents, children, siblings, aunts, or uncles, over a dozen states allow first-cousin marriage, including California, New York, Florida, and Massachusetts.”
“You’re fucking with me now,” said Ham with a disgusted look on his face.
“I’m afraid not.Roughly thirty states ban or restrict first-cousin marriage.But it’s legal in about nineteen, including Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.Some states allow cousin marriage only if the couple is over a certain age, infertile, or obtains genetic counseling.”
“Please tell me marriages between parents and their children or siblings isn’t allowed anywhere,” frowned Ham.
