The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1913. EUGENICS AND SOCIOLOGY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 6, 8 September 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1913. EUGENICS AND SOCIOLOGY.

A complete session of the Medical Congress held at Brighton, England, in July last was devoted to the discussion on Eugenics and Sociology, Though of great interest the discussion did not make clear the exact i licentious and ideals of the Eugenists. The President, Dr. Ryle, of Brighton, in introducing the discussion, defined ' sociology as the scientific study of die social organism and all the forces icting on it. Nearly all these question® had a medical aspect, as was' widen cod hy various Royal Cominis?ions appointed to inquire into social problems, every one of which required the guidance of expert medical opinion, ducli were the Royal Commissions on die Poor Law, on alcoholism, on the 1 care of the feeble-minded, and many others. Dr. Harry Campbell, of London, admitted that the eugoimt ideal was impossible to attain, hut much good would result from the proven-! tiou of the marriage of the unfit. This was not impossible, hut how was it to he achieved? He regarded the idea 1 of legal restraint as out of the question, hut held that an effort should he made to foster a eugouistie eon-' .science in the people. The veteran,| Prince Kropotkin, expresesd the view j that no scientific evidence in favour! of their position had been brought for-j ward hy Hie Eugeniste. Natural selection must he studied in the light of, j Darwin’s later writings. It repre- j sented a racial struggle against i ' nature. Improvement of environment; 1 must precede any improvement of thej stock. Our industrial organisation j had rendered a supply of casual labour ( a commercial necessity, and that was a thing that must ho altered. It had been shown that one-third of the popu- „ lation in London was below the poverty line, and while such terrible eondi- < tions persisted, it was premature to V

speak of ■developing flic race on eugenic linos. Dr. Wynne, the Medical Officer of Health of W igan, speaking on eugenics and public health, said that it seemed as if the Lugenists would regard their endeavours to reduce infantile mortality as a mischievous activity. It was a reductio ad ahsurdum, hut it seemed the logical conclusion to aim at an infantile mortality of 998 per 1000, with the two surviving individuals representing the ideal male and female. But humanity could not afford the extravagant methods of nature. Ho quoted | Huxley’s lecture on evolution and; ethics, where it was pointed out thatj under Arctic conditions the survival! of the fittest led to the survival only of a few forms of lichen, and claimed, that modern hygiene could he justified by reason and science as well as hyj considerations of mercy. Miss Kirk-! hy, secretary of the Society for the: Care of the Feeble-minded, said that the study of the latter was the only| instance 'in which our knowledge of the laws of heredity could he applied to legislation. If the present hill dealing with the subject became law iu Britain, there would he a demand for trained experts, and yet no teacning was provided in the medical schools | and no serious attempt had been made | to standardise the various grades ofj feehle-mindedness. Hr. Hunfop said j that eugenics demanded the reduction of fertility among the biologically and economically unfit, and advocated an extension of Malthusian teaching among these classes. Many other views were expressed, but the Congress arrived at no definite conclusions on the question undwr- review.