3 68 THE TREND OF THE RACE 



conformation of the pelvis which is correlated, in a measure, 

 with other physical defects, the influence of obstetrical skill 

 will probably result in saving from elimination the progeny of 

 large numbers of imperfectly developed women and thereby 

 storing up more troubles for the future. As Dr. Schallmayer 

 has remarked, "The more successfully obstetrics develops, the 

 more necessary will it become for future generations." 



Another much discussed physical defect of modern woman is 

 her frequent inability to nurse children. Dr. A. Bluhm who has 

 made an exhaustive investigation of the subject estimates that in 

 Germany only about two-thirds of the women are able to supply 

 their infants with sufficient milk for their needs. Those who have 

 lived among primitive peoples have frequently commented on the 

 almost universal ability of mothers to feed their children at the 

 breast. Dr. Ogata, according to Hegar, states that in Japan 

 women nurse their children almost without exception, even in the 

 large cities. And among Europeans the women of previous 

 generations nursed their children much more frequently than the 

 women of the present time. 



While many women are disinclined to nurse their children, 

 at least for very long, in these days of artificial substitutes for 

 mother's milk, there is no doubt that a large and increasing pro- 

 portion are incapable of discharging the normal function of 

 lactation, however much they may desire to do so. It is difficult 

 to discover how far the environment of modern woman is respon- 

 sible for this change. The fact that the proportion of women 

 unable to nurse their children is usually greater in cities than in 

 rural districts points to the potency of environmental influences. 

 Hereditary defects of lactation would not be eliminated so rapidly 

 as under the regime of primitive life, and it is not improbable 

 that the diminishing action of natural selection in relation to 

 lactation has permitted a certain amount of atrophy of this 

 function. 



Inability to nurse children tends to run in families, and, as 

 Bunge and others have shown, it is often associated with parental 

 alcoholism, tuberculosis and a general neuropathic inheritance. 



