The Dog's Blog

Continued from Eugenics: 1.

Although many eminent people of the day – including Winston Churchill – agreed with Galton’s beliefs, it was not until 1907 that the Eugenics Education Society was founded in Britain. The society intended to address the socially unacceptable problems of poverty and pauperism through the application of the laws of inheritance. Pauperism – which was seen as being hereditary and extending to 2 or 3 generations – was considered to have it’s origins in the pathological and genetic differences between individuals; socio-economic differences prevalent at the time were not considered. Eugenicists’ causal explanations for pauperism included:

1. old age
2. persons dependent on casual labour marrying early in their lives
3. venereal disease
4. intemperance – especially among women, because it caused the pauperism of their husbands

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I’d like to make it absolutely clear that I do not support the principles underpinning eugenics. I am simply re-visiting a topic which first attracted my attention whilst at university many years ago. In order to investigate recent developments in the area, I thought that going back to basics would help an ageing memory!

To introduce you to the topic, here’s an excellent definition and more information on the theme of eugenics:

the study of, or belief in, the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, esp. by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics).

(Source: Wikipedia)

And now your starter for 10 – whose words are these?

The unnatural and increasingly rapid growth of the feeble-minded and insane classes, coupled as it is with steady restriction among all the thrifty, energetic and superior stocks constitutes a national and race danger which it is impossible to exaggerate. I feel that the source from which the stream of madness is fed should be cut off and sealed before another year has passed.

(Source: Jones, S (1993) – The Language of the Genes: Biology, history and the evolutionary future.)

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