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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Great 
  wars. 
  — 
  These 
  constitute 
  an 
  obstacle 
  of 
  man's 
  own 
  making. 
  

   Great 
  wars 
  are 
  unquestionably 
  deleterious, 
  and 
  the 
  disgenic 
  influ- 
  

   ences 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  war 
  will 
  be 
  felt 
  for 
  still 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  come. 
  The 
  

   underlying 
  cause 
  of 
  wars, 
  however, 
  is 
  increasing 
  density 
  of 
  popula- 
  

   tion, 
  just 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  invasions; 
  and 
  the 
  remedy 
  for 
  wars 
  

   lies 
  essentially 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  Unless 
  some 
  as 
  yet 
  unknown 
  

   agency 
  of 
  nature 
  develops, 
  before 
  long 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  problems 
  

   of 
  the 
  world 
  will 
  be 
  to 
  control 
  its 
  population. 
  

  

  Idleness^ 
  luxury^ 
  and 
  demoralization^ 
  collectively, 
  are 
  perhaps 
  even 
  

   more 
  deleterious 
  than 
  war. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  truism 
  that 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  any 
  being, 
  

   or 
  any 
  group 
  — 
  be 
  this 
  a 
  family 
  or 
  a 
  nation, 
  ceases 
  strenuous 
  endeavor 
  

   and 
  yields 
  to 
  comfort 
  and 
  indolence, 
  or 
  falls 
  to 
  demoralization, 
  he 
  

   or 
  it 
  commences 
  to 
  retrograde 
  and 
  lose 
  in 
  physical 
  and 
  mental 
  

   standards. 
  

  

  Excesses 
  and 
  strains^ 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  exacting 
  and 
  irregular 
  mod- 
  

   ern 
  life, 
  produce 
  weaknesses 
  that 
  call 
  for 
  stimulation 
  by 
  coffee, 
  nico- 
  

   tine, 
  alcohol, 
  or 
  drugs. 
  Some 
  excesses 
  and 
  strains 
  were, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   always 
  present 
  and 
  always 
  disgenic 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  growing 
  much 
  more 
  

   common 
  and 
  new 
  ones 
  are 
  being 
  added. 
  Repeated 
  excesses 
  lead 
  to 
  

   overstrains, 
  and 
  result 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  diminished 
  potentiality 
  of 
  the 
  

   individual 
  in 
  every 
  way, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  poor 
  progeny. 
  They 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  

   generation 
  or 
  retention 
  in 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  poisons 
  that 
  may 
  and 
  often 
  

   do 
  affect 
  the 
  germ 
  plasm. 
  The 
  child 
  of 
  an 
  overstrained 
  or 
  neuras- 
  

   thenic 
  individual 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  absolutely 
  healthy 
  or 
  fully 
  efficient. 
  

  

  Poisons 
  in 
  chemical 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  plants 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered. 
  His 
  multiplied 
  and 
  widely 
  differentiated 
  occupations 
  and 
  

   even 
  his 
  needs 
  and 
  pleasures 
  bring 
  man 
  into 
  contact 
  with 
  many 
  new 
  

   poisons. 
  Such 
  poisons, 
  too, 
  acting 
  deeply, 
  must 
  often 
  affect 
  the 
  germ 
  

   plasm. 
  Man 
  is 
  using 
  his 
  growing 
  knowledge 
  to 
  counteract 
  these 
  

   poisons, 
  but 
  this 
  knowledge 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  sufficient. 
  

  

  Then 
  there 
  is 
  mechanization. 
  It 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  approximately 
  

   8,000,000 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  children 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  alone 
  are 
  for 
  

   seven 
  to 
  nine 
  hours 
  a 
  day 
  doing 
  automatic 
  work 
  that 
  calls 
  for 
  little 
  

   or 
  no 
  mental 
  exercise. 
  This 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  can 
  hardly 
  fail 
  to 
  

   have 
  a 
  disgenic 
  influence 
  upon 
  the 
  mental, 
  if 
  not 
  also 
  upon 
  the 
  

   physical, 
  life 
  of 
  many 
  an 
  individual, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  run 
  can 
  not 
  

   but 
  be 
  harmful 
  to 
  the 
  race. 
  The 
  automatic 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  is 
  often 
  

   compensated 
  for 
  by 
  harmful 
  excitement 
  or 
  excess 
  afterwards 
  — 
  also 
  

   a 
  disgenic 
  factor. 
  

  

  Finally 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  misapplied 
  hirth 
  restriction. 
  The 
  

   principle 
  of 
  birth 
  restriction 
  is 
  sound 
  and 
  necessary, 
  but 
  the 
  misfor- 
  

   tune 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  very 
  people, 
  the 
  morons 
  and 
  defectives, 
  who 
  should 
  

   practice 
  birth 
  restraint 
  most, 
  do 
  so 
  least, 
  while 
  those 
  who 
  ought 
  not 
  

   to 
  practice 
  it, 
  the 
  intelligent 
  and 
  well 
  to 
  do, 
  are 
  those 
  who 
  put 
  it 
  

  

  