American Physicians Should Follow "Suit 



31 



matter alone. How do you know which 

 one ought to survive? That's the very 

 question you are trying to find out. You 

 might as well put weights in the bal- 

 ance in weighing chemicals. 



2. "The notion that we must boost 

 up any race which is failing or assist 

 nature in any degree violates the whole 

 theory of the survival of the fittest. 



3. "As for zvhicli race makes the best 

 fighters, look at the Germans (whom 

 the correspondent praises so highly) 

 and see how they collapse. I don't 

 think the world will regard the German 

 civilization as efficient or the Germans 

 as good fighters for some time to come. 



4. "What basis are you going to get 

 down to in encouraging nature F 



6. "If modern science has discovered 

 a formula that will tell us how to begin, 

 I don't know the formula. This desire 

 to help things along is a moral idea 

 which science has borrowed from re- 

 ligion and ethics, etc., and which science 

 can make use of in small matters, like 

 hygiene. But the idea is unscientific 

 or non-scientific, and I rather believe 



that it cannot be expressed in purely 

 scientific language." 



Considering the above report by one 

 of our artillery captains, and the com- 

 ments of Mr. Chapman, it must first 

 be observed that it is extremely difiicult 

 to distinguish between hereditary and 

 acquired fighting ability, the former an 

 inborn predisposition, the latter the re- 

 sult of education and social environ- 

 ment. The matter is also one of aver- 

 ages rather than of individual instances 

 and exceptions. Here, as well as in 

 every other field of genetic inquiry, we 

 must sharply distinguish between race 

 and country. 



An attempt is being made by meni- 

 bers of the Galton Society to encourage 

 a more precise physical and anatomical 

 definition of the Nordic, Alpine and 

 Mediterranean races respectively. 

 Doubtless psychic definitions, or inven- 

 tories of dominant and widely prevail- 

 ing psychic traits and predispositions 

 are equally important to place the races 

 distinctively on a genetic or heredity 

 basis. 



Henry Fairfield Osborn. 



American Physicians Should Follow Suit 



December 4, 1918. 

 The American Genetic Association, 



511 Eleventh Street N. W. 

 Washington, D. C. 

 Gentlemen : 



For the past seven years I have been 

 a resident of Rio de Janeiro and S. 

 Paulo, Brazil. While in S. Paulo a 

 very energetic young physician became 

 interested in the study and propaganda 

 of the science of eugenics. We invited 

 him to give a lecture at our association 

 building, which he did. As a result of 

 his interest, an organization has been 

 formed in the interest of eugenics, and 



its membership is composed of one hun- 

 dred of the leading physicians in the 

 city. 



I am very anxious to foster this sin- 

 cere effort, and appeal to you for sug- 

 gestions and help. In what way can 

 your organization advance the interest 

 of the science through that organi- 

 zation ? 



I should appreciate your coopera- 

 tion. Cordially yours, 



Arthur W. Manuel, 



International Committee of Young 

 Men's Christian Associations, 

 347 Madison Ave., New York. 



