﻿EXTINCTION" 
  AND 
  EXTEEMINATION 
  TOLMACHOPP 
  277 
  

  

  A 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  extinction 
  of 
  animals 
  in 
  historical 
  and 
  recent 
  time 
  

   affords 
  us 
  no 
  better 
  understanding 
  of 
  this 
  phenomenon 
  than 
  the 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  extinction 
  of 
  animals 
  in 
  Paleozoic 
  and 
  Mesozoic 
  time. 
  Some 
  

   animals 
  are 
  doomed 
  to 
  destruction 
  as 
  a 
  race; 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  kind 
  

   are 
  capable 
  of 
  prolific 
  propagation, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  apparent 
  

   difference 
  in 
  their 
  organization 
  or 
  in 
  their 
  environment. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  forms 
  considered 
  above, 
  old 
  and 
  new 
  alike, 
  we 
  find 
  high 
  spe- 
  

   cialization 
  in 
  all 
  species 
  or 
  groups 
  of 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  doomed 
  to 
  

   extinction. 
  Extinction 
  is 
  evidently 
  dependent 
  on 
  some 
  inner 
  de- 
  

   ficiency, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  accompanied 
  by 
  high 
  perfection 
  in 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  features 
  — 
  by 
  far-reaching 
  specialization. 
  

  

  INDIVIDUAL 
  AND 
  RACIAL 
  INTERESTS 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  STATEMENT 
  

  

  The 
  preservation 
  of 
  an 
  individual 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  does 
  not 
  invari- 
  

   ably 
  follow 
  the 
  same 
  law 
  or 
  principle. 
  We 
  can 
  even 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  

   interest 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  may 
  be 
  directly 
  opposite. 
  

   The 
  mechanism 
  of 
  evolution 
  insures 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  weak 
  and 
  

   the 
  poorly 
  adapted, 
  and 
  in 
  animal 
  breeding 
  a 
  rational 
  elimination 
  

   may 
  be 
  applied 
  with 
  good 
  results 
  to 
  the 
  race. 
  In 
  fish 
  culture, 
  for 
  

   example, 
  a 
  few 
  pike 
  are 
  usually 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  pool 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  time 
  to 
  

   devour 
  the 
  undersized 
  fish 
  and 
  to 
  create 
  better 
  feeding 
  conditions 
  for 
  

   the 
  larger 
  and 
  stronger 
  fish. 
  This 
  practice 
  is 
  followed 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  

   of 
  the 
  species. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  some 
  action 
  that 
  might 
  be 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  may 
  be 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  race. 
  Birth 
  control, 
  for 
  example, 
  is 
  

   practiced 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  individual, 
  but 
  if 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  applied 
  

   widely 
  and 
  constantly, 
  it 
  would 
  bring 
  about 
  the 
  extinction 
  of 
  the 
  

   human 
  race. 
  The 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  race 
  would 
  thus 
  result 
  from 
  

   action 
  undertaken 
  for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  individual. 
  

  

  INSTINCT 
  OE 
  SELF-PRESERVATION 
  CONTROLLING 
  THE 
  INTERESTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  INDIVIDUAL 
  

  

  The 
  instinct 
  of 
  self-preservation 
  protects 
  an 
  organism 
  against 
  ex- 
  

   termination; 
  but 
  parental 
  and 
  sexual 
  instincts 
  care 
  for 
  the 
  race. 
  The 
  

   violation 
  of 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  self-preservation 
  may 
  mean 
  suft'ering 
  varying 
  in 
  

   intensity 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  violation 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  extreme 
  form 
  

   (suicide) 
  causing 
  death. 
  Against 
  this 
  suffering 
  and 
  possible 
  death 
  

   every 
  living 
  creature 
  maintains 
  a 
  struggle 
  thoughout 
  its 
  life, 
  a 
  struggle 
  

   supported 
  and 
  directed 
  by 
  the 
  instinct 
  of 
  self-preservation, 
  which 
  has 
  

   been 
  developed 
  during 
  countless 
  generations. 
  The 
  violation 
  of 
  this 
  

   instinct 
  by 
  self-destruction 
  is 
  rare 
  among 
  the 
  lower 
  animals 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  abnormal 
  among 
  human 
  beings, 
  although 
  the 
  instinct 
  of 
  self- 
  

   preservation 
  may 
  be 
  sacrificed 
  to 
  the 
  stronger 
  tendency 
  arising 
  from 
  

   the 
  instinct 
  governing 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  or 
  the 
  race. 
  

  

  