Wizen recessive gene/Petunia

[Richard]

No: HPFGUIDX 80288

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "elizabeth1603" 
<elizabeth1603 at y...> wrote:
> I just noticed a line in COS that made me think of this post. On 
pg.116 of the 
> U.S. edition, Ron says, 'if we hadn't married muggles, we'd've died 
out.' This 
> made me think that there must be something genetic (or the wizard 
> equivelant) about magic because it sounds like magic people have to 
> procreate and pass the magic on.
> 
> Elli

Richard here, saying ...

I think you misinterpreted that quote.  What I think it says is that 
if wizards and witches hadn't intermarried, their low rate of 
procreation would have caused them to die out.  This is not much 
different from what you find in zoology.  If a species or sub-species 
becomes too rare, it tends to die out.  There are a number of reasons 
for this, including a decreasing probability of meeting a suitable 
mate.

In the WW, exclusive intra-marriage would have eventually lead to 
serious inbreeding, with all the negative health effects attendant to 
that problem.  Over time, the problem would tend to accelerate the 
demise of the community; as the number of viable mates declines, 
inbreeding becomes more difficult to avoid, until it is unavoidable, 
and the population would then likely collapse in just a few 
generations.


Richard