Help Me Harlan

Harlan Cohen

Dear Harlan,

I've been slowly falling for my first cousin. I'm contemplating getting together with her, but I know it's considered wrong. What do you think of the whole dating a cousin thing?

Is it legal to have relations with a first cousin?

- Family affair

Dear Family,

Unfortunately, you're not allowed to marry your sister, but in most states, you can legally marry your first cousin - congratulations!

Personally, I've never been smitten by a cousin, but who's to say Albert Einstein was wrong when he climbed all over his family tree and married first cousin Elsa Einstein.

Besides the social stigma, the other debate centers around the risks of cousin offspring. Dr. James Kneel, professor of human genetics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan, conducted some of the most intense research to date on in-family breeding.

In a study of Japanese children from birth to 10 years of age, Dr. Kneel reported the mortality rate among inbred children was 1.5 percent higher than all other children. Regarding serious developmental problems, his findings reflect a 2.2 percent increased risk of problems among cousin offspring.

Regardless of any data, the absence of arranged marriages and the geographic disbursement of family today has made cousin marriage a social taboo in Western culture.

So, before swinging from your family tree, make sure you're extremely confident and prepared to deal with such a decision.

Dear Harlan,

My mom has a dog and I have a cat (both get along well).

The problem is, my cat throws up hair balls. I comb and brush and sweep the hair off the floors, but he still gets hair balls.

If you know of any home remedies, please ask around and forward them?

- Coughing cat

Dear Coughing,

Lucky for you, I just recovered from a bad case of hair balls.

After speaking with my veterinarian, Dr. Needleman, your best bet is take a walk to your local pet store and purchase an over-the-counter hair ball remedy. Some of the most popular treatments run about five bucks and should work well for you and your cat (only give to cat).

Regardless of your house cleaning, your cat will continue to ingest hair when cleaning himself. As for any home remedies, don't even mess with it. If the little one continues hacking up enough hair to weave a toupee, take him to the vet for a check-up.

And, I'm so happy your pets get along well, that's wonderful.

09-25-97