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This was published on 9 January 1903. It contains the first report that albinism is a Mendelian recessive trait in guinea pigs and rabbits.

This is a very brief letter to the editor, in response to an adjacent letter from William Farabee providing evidence that albinism is recessive in humans. Castle sets the scene in his second sentence: “The point needs emphasizing that albinism in mammals in general is a recessive character in the sense of Mendel’s law.” [Castle’s italics]. He continues:

“Last winter [i.e., late 1901 or early 1902] in my lectures on heredity, . . . I showed from the statistics published by von Gaeta in 1900 that albinism in mice is a recessive character. This result has been confirmed by Mr. G. M. Allen, who has been carrying on breeding experiments with mice, under my direction, for the past two years.”

The von Guaita 1900 paper mentioned by Castle is one of the two von Guaita papers mentioned by Bateson and Saunders 1902 (Reports to the Evolution Committee of the Royal Society 1: 125-160; see commentary above) as containing data consistent with Mendelian inheritance of the waltzing trait in mice. This reflects the fact that von Guaita recorded both the waltzing trait and albinism in his mice crosses. Not being aware of Mendel, he did not put his data to any Mendelian test.

Castle then goes on to say:

“During the last few months I have been able to demonstrate experimentally that albinism is a recessive character likewise in guinea-pigs and rabbits.”

This being a brief letter to the editor, there is no room for Castle to present his actual data, which was published subsequently, in 1903 and, more fully, in 1905.

Castle is careful to note that the albinism he is reporting is not the same trait as the white plumage reported by Bateson (and Saunders; 1902 Reports to the Evolution Committee of the Royal Society 1: 87-124; see commentary above) to be dominant in chickens.

For a summary of knowledge about albinism in guinea pigs and rabbits, see:

OMIA 000202-10141 : Coat colour, oculocutaneous albinism type I (OCA1), TYR-related in Cavia porcellus

OMIA 000202-9986 : Coat colour, oculocutaneous albinism type I (OCA1), TYR-related in Oryctolagus cuniculus

References

Castle. W.E., Allen, G.M. (1903) The heredity of albinism. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 38: 602-622. View this paper

Castle, W.E. (1905) Heredity of coat characters in guinea-pigs and rabbits. Carnegie Institute Publication Issue 23: 1-78. View this publication

von Guaita, G. (1900) Zweite Mittheilung uber Versuche mit Kreuzungen von verschiedenen Hausmausrassen. Berichte der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft zu Freiburg I.B. 11: 131-138. View this paper