o9 
A FAMILY IN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD. * 
Amos W. BUTLER, 
Secretary Indiana Board of State Charities. 
Indianapolis. 
Not long ago I had handed to me a little card containing these words: 
“When shall we apply the same intelligence to breeding human 
beings that we apply to breeding cattle?” 
It came at a time when we were investigating the family histories of 
some of the state’s wards whose names are recorded in the registration of 
the Board of State Charities. The application was made more striking by 
having before me charts of some of these families, some of them running 
back five or six generations. These tell a story of degeneracy that is ap- 
palling. I have thought you would be interested in one of them whose 
visible beginning was in a pair of feeble-minded ancestors about a hun- 
dred years ago. It includes five generations, represented by fifty-seven 
individuals. 
There would be some changes in the chart as a result of subsequent 
investigations but in the main the facts are as given. 
The “C” Family. Sen 
Male. Female. Unknown. Total. 
MTGiVIGIAlS recorded! Co.) nes. alee hese 2 28 5 57 
Mental condition: 
WEED LeSmii TCM meanuscy sete. co ereu cle: chetensiel «She, ears 17 19 , 36 
WMSane. Lees eset 2 cha cic arate eee Egor shrey nal wah seve we 1 i 1 
INCLU oo cadode Ad, Oe EOE COC OR ROR Sek 6 : 9 
Normality in question..... We dnetales rae ti 2 By tal! 
Sex offenders ........... SEC ae ron RO Ie 3 4 ; it 
JONES Eat hanes Hires eee, canter cree Oe CReR ba ois eertaya nett 7a satel 3 5) 9 
*Read at Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis 1914. 
