Mental Degenerates.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17702, 2 March 1923, Page 6

Mental Degenerates.

The difficult and unpleasant problem of the mental degenerate was discussed by the Hospital Board on Wednesday in a manner which did the Board much credit. The gravity of the problem was not at all over-stated by. Dr. Fenwick. It is not that the amount of .moral and mental ill-health which is '.staiainf. %b& stream of the nation.'*s life is in this country abnormal. On the contrary, it is probable that New Zealand is not so badly off in this respect as moat other countries. But this is a young country, in many respects unusually fortunate, and still rich in its heritage of good British stock, bo that the duty of safeguarding its mental and moral health is peculiarly important. Yet, in Dr. Fenwick's words, " we are carefully conserving the life • " of every mental degenerate, lunatic, "epileptic, deaf-mute or person affect"ed with incurable disease. This was "no doubt right, and our duty to | "humanity, but we were permitting "these unfortunate people to increase " and multiply, and to hand down to "future generations the dreadful burd- " ens of hereditary disease, without the " slightest attempt to save our country "from a degenerating population/' \ The Committee which the Board ihi stracted to enquire into the problem ; took a good deal of evidence, and it . reoommended that' power should be given for tha sterilisation or de-sexuol-iaatton of certain classes of people, that no person should be allowed to marry who does not sign a statutory declaration of freedom from transmissible disease, and that homes be established for the feeßlerminded. Concerning the first of these rooommondatioiia, opinion is drrided. Everyone can see how deferable it is that mental and moral degenerates should nob transmit their weaknesses to another generation, but soimo people fear that sterilisation or de-eexualisation by order of constituted Authority, either as a preventive or punitive measure, would bo too drus--,||o- Ml inaovation to uecure publio ■*fl/90nL JtahUo •onijiment oouoernina

new and drastic measures is always difficult to forecast, and it may be that there is latent a public repugnance to cLe new policy proposed by the Committee. 'Whether such, a repugnance exists would become apparent with discussion, and the point is important enough to be tested by the introduction of legislation. To oar mind, however, a more important objection to the immediate adoption of the Committee's ; recommendation is that which was raised by Dr. Crosby, uameiy. the present insufficiency of information coni cernine the working of the laws pro- | riding for sterilisation in other cfninI tri?«. ff anything is done, it ought I to be- done not only in the light- of the j opinions of physicians and sociologists. i but in the light, also, of actual esperif en.ce. Nature has a way of circumi renting attempts to eircumrent her, I and we cannot move too cautiously in | this matter. As for the de-sexualisation \ of sexual criminals, no difficulty arises >At all: i t should be done. So far as j the proposal respecting marriage I lif-euces i= concerned, ike istat* had, on j tho whole, better leave tfaia alone. Ths ! Board : s adoption of the Committee's i recommendations will involve the con- | sideration of the whole question by the ; Government, and should lead to useful ! thought upon what is undoubtedly one [ of the most important of current social ! questions.