HUMAN BALANCE SHEET

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19625, 20 October 1933, Page 9

HUMAN BALANCE SHEET

STARTLING EVIDENCE OF DECADENCE. MAINTAINING ARMY OF INEFFICIENTS. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received October 19, 7.5 p.m.) LONDON, October 19. Lord Horder, inaugurating the postgratudate lectures at Hampstead Hospital, said: The national stocktaking had produced most unpalatable facts. Britain was staggered during the war time to find that only one of three recruits aged between 17 to 18 years, was perfectly sound. To-day one In 120 was feeble-minded, one in 200 insane, one in ten was too over dull or over sickly to be absorbed in industry. The nation was making an enormous expenditure to educate and maintain these inefficients, but this was not as serious as the fact that the future stock was being continually recruited from that section. He pointed out that the eugenic movement sought to operate voluntarily and was advocating the sterilisation of mental defectives and mental convalescents, also sufferers from transmissable defects. Lord Horder urged that genetics should be taught medical students thus reinforcing doctors’ knowledge of many diseases and also enabling them properly to advise those contemplating marriage. He feared that many doctors were still unable to give scientific advice on contraception.