The concept of marriage in ancient times was significantly different from that of modern times, and consanguineous marriage was a relatively popular phenomenon in ancient times. One of the perplexing wonders is why, after the cousin marries the cousin, the offspring of the two rarely develop intellectual disabilities. To solve this mystery, we need to travel back in time and delve into the ancient culture and way of life. The ancients had a very different attitude towards consanguineous marriages than they do today, believing that it would strengthen family ties and preserve the purity of the bloodline. In ancient Egypt, marriage between immediate family members was seen as a necessary modality to maintain the purity of royal blood. Unlike our modern beliefs, the ancients paid more attention to matrilineal blood than patrilineal. This makes marriages between cousins more common, as they often have a matrilineal connection. This custom was widely accepted in ancient societies and not only contributed to the harmony of the family, but also promoted friendly relations between the families. Despite the prevalence of consanguineous marriages in ancient times, we rarely hear of intellectual disabilities in their offspring. There are three main reasons for this. The ancient people's understanding of consanguineous marriage was different from that of modern times. They are more likely to choose relatives who are closer to the maternal line to marry and stay away from their immediate family. This difference can lead to relatively distant blood relations, reducing the risk of genetic diseases. Social face occupied an important place in ancient times. The reputation of the family is seen as paramount, and if a child with an intellectual disability appears, the family may resort to cover-up or other means in order to maintain the reputation. This explains why we rarely hear about children with genetic diseases caused by consanguineous marriages in ancient times. Thirdly, the limited medical conditions in ancient times led to some women who were unable to have children to be considered physically problematic. The ancients did not necessarily attribute this to consanguineous marriages, but more likely to attribute it to individual women. Such a notion was quite common in ancient societies. Women who are unable to have children may be sent to others for care or even be treated sloppily. In ancient times, consanguineous marriages played a role in maintaining family purity and social harmony. The development of modern science has made us deeply aware of the potential dangers of consanguineous marriage, especially in terms of genetic diseases. Today, we no longer encourage consanguineous marriages, but instead emphasize diverse marriage options to ensure the health of future generations. The ancient concept of marriage may have played a positive role at the time, but modern society has deeply recognized the great contribution of scientific and technological and medical progress to human health. In ancient China, especially in the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, consanguineous marriages reached an unprecedented height. Intermarriages between Qing emperors were frequent, and several surnames almost monopolized the royal lineage. However, this type of marriage brings great challenges to the physical fitness of the offspring. Some emperors at the end of the Qing Dynasty suffered from a series of health problems due to the marriage of close relatives, and even led to some cases of not being able to have offspring. This has led to a deeper understanding of the negative effects of consanguineous marriage. Modern scientific research has proved that marriage between close relatives can easily lead to the spread of genetic diseases and increase the risk of diseases in offspring. Why is it that after Brother Gu married his cousin, he rarely heard of their offspring having intellectual disabilities? This may have something to do with the cognition, family values, and handling methods of ancient societies. Ancient people may have paid more attention to the diversity of human genes, and although there were close relatives to marry, they often chose more distant relatives to marry, and the closeness of blood relations was reduced. The culture of face makes some families more inclined to hide some unfavorable circumstances, especially when the family's reputation is threatened. In ancient societies, families may resort to cover-ups or other means to preserve their own honor for the offspring of intellectually disabled children. Medical conditions in ancient times were relatively poor, many diseases were difficult to diagnose accurately, and intellectual disability could be misjudged to be caused by other causes. Although ancient times were not immune to the problems that could be caused by consanguineous marriages, the limited social culture, family values, and medical skills made it possible for some cases to be underrecorded. With the progress of science and technology, modern society has placed more emphasis on the scientific concept of marriage to avoid the potential harm that may be brought about by the marriage of close relatives. In this context, people pay more attention to genetic health and advocate diverse and open marriage choices. The tradition of consanguineous marriage has gradually been replaced by scientific concepts, which is also a kind of progress in the development of human civilization. Although it is not uncommon for older brothers to marry cousins, we now have a more comprehensive understanding and higher scientific standards to ensure the physical and mental health of future generations.
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