ciety must be brought to the point where it realises that it is its duty to protect itself against the propagation of a degenerate stock. Only after it has been brought to its senses and shown that inebriates, epileptics, the insane and the feeble-minded, when they become parents, are much more likely than are healthy people to have children with insane tendency, with alcoholic tendency, with epileptic tendency or with other degenerate tendency, can much progress be made." 26

I believe I have now included everybody's possible interest. Whether man or woman and whatever your sphere of activity, more especially if you enter law, medicine, philanthropy or the church, you have a sacred eugenic responsibility. And unless one take very serious thought, and act in accordance with the best counsel he may readily become the cause of considerable racial subtraction and contamination. Moreover, just as we are now guarding the public health, so it is our yet more clear and sacred duty to guard the health of the race, by every humane effective means at our command.27

26" On the Prevention of Racial Deterioration and Degeneracy, Especially by Denying the Privilege of Parenthood to the Manifestly Unfit." Pamphlet, 1910; p. 9.

27 For a complete bibliography of American works on eugenics in general, the reader should consult "Die Rassenhygiene in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika” by Géza von Hoffmann. J. F. Lehmanns, Munich, 1913.

VI

EUGENICS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE

GENETICIST

PROFESSOR H. T. WEBBER.

Introduction — The science of eugenics is concerned with the improvement of the human race through better breeding. It is generally recognised that the laws of heredity that maintain in animals and plants, are also in general applicable to the human race. The practice of careful methods of breeding to maintain the various races of animals and plants in the highest possible state of perfection is known to be a necessary factor in successful agriculture. Until very recently, however, no attempt has been made to apply the same principles to the improvement of the human

Hundreds of men in every State are giving their time and attention to the improvement of plants and animals, but as yet only a few dozen men in the entire United States are engaged in the study of eugenics.

The present era is characterised as one of great advancement in all directions. Human time has become so valuable that the intelligence of the world is largely directed toward the devising of labour-saving machines. We now gin our cotton by machinery; we harvest and thresh our grain by machinery; we card and spin by machinery; and we knit and sew by machinery. These machines increase the efficiency of man to the extent of

many millions of hands. We dash from one corner of the earth to the other on iron rails; we spin from one place to another in horseless carriages; we have no time to walk; we telegraph and telephone without even the trouble of stringing wires; the impossible has been accomplished and we even fly- no longer the impossible dream but a reality.

All of this has been accomplished to save man's time and allow him greater opportunity to seek enjoyment and to guarantee to him greater safety in living. Yet what of man himself? In his hurry to help himself man has forgotten himself. It is estimated that man in the abstract is only half efficient. He lives only half his allotted time and meanwhile eats twice as much as he should. Half of those that are born to him die before reaching a productive age or are incapacitated by being mentally deficient. Three per cent. of our population are sick all the time and unable to work. According to statistics compiled by the Eugenics Committee of the American Breeders' Association 1 in 1900 (the twelfth census) 634,877 or .8 per cent. of the population of the United States were under custodial care. It was also estimated that at least 3,000,000 or nearly 4 per cent. were more or less defective but not under State care, while around the border line just above this class, were 7,000,000 or nearly 10 per cent. of our total population. In the light of such figures can man be considered an efficient machine? Ruskin asserts that "There is no wealth but life," and Tille affirms that "A nation is composed not of property nor of provinces, but of men." It is fortunate, then, that 1" Problems in Eugenics," Vol. I, p. 464.

at last attention is centering on man himself. What are we doing and what should we do to conserve human life and efficiency, the greatest source of wealth in the world?

We are told that the cost of living is increasing and on this point we demand no proof. The increasing difficulty of earning a living is patent to all. The complicated life which we live makes it difficult to determine the fundamental causes of this increased cost of living, but it is certain that a considerable portion of the difficulty is due to the increasing number of dependents. The care of the insane, feeble-minded, incompetent paupers, epileptics, deaf, blind, and others under custody, costs about $100,000,000 annually, and no one can estimate the amount to which this fund would be swollen if we could add to it the funds that are expended privately in the care of defectives outside of institutions and in private charities. Doubtless the greatest of all difficulties is to be found in the comparatively small percentage of the population that are actual producers. The world demands men of greater strength and ability. To succeed the race must be vigorous, vital and healthy. The greatest of all problems is the production of good men and women.

Are we to conclude then that the tide of human heredity is declining? The great advance in knowledge is likely to deceive us into assuming an improvement in mental calibre at least. It must be remembered that one generation builds on the knowledge of the past. Galton estimated that England has produced one man of supreme excellence, where the old culture of Athens produced two hundred. So far as

can now be determined it would seem probable that man in the Stone Age possessed about the same mental power as does man to-day, and, doubtless, was less subject to disease.

Every advance in the science of medicine and surgery serves to prolong life and increase the number of weaklings. True, we would not have it otherwise and welcome every method of conserving human life, but it cannot be doubted that the improvement in medical science has led to the survival and reproduction of a very large number of weak individuals, that under the less civilised conditions of a few centuries ago would have been cut off without progeny. The improvement in our methods of living, the better understanding of hygienic laws, the spread of the Christian spirit, indeed, the developments of civilisation, have tended all over and more and more to protect and nurture the weaklings of the race.

Inheritance versus Environment.- From these and doubtless other causes, defectives and criminals have come to form such a large proportion of the population as to cause serious alarm. We must seek the cause and determine the best methods of remedying the condition. A considerable number of careful students of social conditions have considered that the primary cause of such degeneration is to be sought in the influence of development under bad environmental conditions. There is no denying that environment is a very potent factor in the life of the individual. The development under conditions of extreme poverty with all its attendant evils, improper nourishment and difficulties, is likely to produce poorly developed individuals phys