360 EUGENICS 



whom there are 480 known descendants. Of these, only 46 are 

 known to have been normal while 143 were feeble-minded. Knowl- 

 edge concerning the others is missing or doubtful. After the war, 

 this same soldier, Martin Kallikak, married a normal woman. 

 From tlis union there have been 496 descendants ; none of whom 

 were feeble-minded. The history of the Kallikak family indicates 

 that feeble-mindedness is inheritable. The defective descendants 

 were incapable of earning a living and some could not provide for 

 themselves nor care for their physical comfort. It is necessary 

 that these defectives be fed and sheltered, but it is more impor- 

 tant >that they be segregated in institutions where they cannot 

 produce more offspring like themselves. 



The number of mental defectives in England and Ireland has 

 been estimated to be about five per cent of the population. In 

 1923, the United States had at least 267,600 mental defectives. 

 The annual cost of caring for these persons was nearly $80,000,000, 

 to which should be added three hundred millions of dollars which 

 was the corresponding loss in industrial activity of these depend- 

 ent people. In some states, one eighth of the total state expen- 

 ditures is for the care of the insane. 



The cost of crime in the United States is ten billion dollars an- 

 nually. Over twenty per cent of the inmates of jails, almshouses, 

 and other institutions are foreign-born, although only fourteen per 

 cent of the total population is foreign-born. There seems to be 

 twice the number of foreign-born as native-born among the defec- 

 tive group which includes the feeble-minded, insane, epileptics, 

 criminals, blind, deaf, paupers, and other dependents on a com- 

 munity. This is probably due to the fact that many foreigners 

 of poor stock were formerly admitted to this country, but such 

 undesirable aliens are now excluded. Therefore, the above figures 

 include the people admitted before our immigration laws were so 

 strict. They also show the necessity of a careful physical and 

 mental examination of all immigrants to this country. 



