RURAL HEALTH MENTAL 215 



(1) Certain centers of mental and moral degeneracy and defect 

 were found, which corresponded closely with the distribution of 

 certain well-known mentally tainted family stocks. In two little 

 settlements, for instance, on the edge of the area studied, it was 

 found that 57.7 per cent, and 26.6 per cent, of the population 

 were mentally defective, in the sense above indicated. Examina- 

 tion revealed the fact that these settlements were the original 

 seats of two families that were notably defective. By inbreeding 

 and inter-breeding, the original small groups, after several gen- 

 erations had brought forth hundreds of their own kind, and other 

 hundreds who were on the borderline of inefficiency and mental 

 defectiveness. 



Not only by drawing together representatives of their own 

 and other bad strains, but by attracting weak members of better 

 and normal families, these settlements became centers of con- 

 stantly widening and contaminating influence, the more aggres- 

 sive members going out to found other centers of contamination. 



(2) From figures supplied by the officers of the county most 

 directly concerned, Dr. Key shows that the actual financial cost 

 to the county, for caring for and protecting against these defec- 

 tive groups during the last twenty-five years, has been at least 

 $265,000, of which $125,000 was actually spent for maintenance 

 of representatives of these families in the county home for vary- 

 ing periods ; $30,000 for care of orphans ; $75,000 for settlement 

 of criminal cases outside of court ; $15,000 for settlement of crim- 

 inal cases in court, and $20,000 for outdoor or home relief. 

 This takes no account of the cost of their private depredations, 

 nor of private charity, nor free medical attendance, nor neces- 

 sary extra police service, nor drink bill, etc. 



In this connection Dr. Key says: 



"Could this sum have been applied to the segregation of its 

 feeble-minded women, it would have sufficed to rid the county of 

 the whole of its younger generation of undesirables. We must 

 bear in mind, however, that at present the State has no institu- 

 tion for the care of such women . . . The training-schools for the 

 feeble-minded are overcrowded and have long waiting lists . . . 

 Our short-sighted policy . . . has not even the merit of being 

 inexpensive. It costs a great deal of money and then serves only 

 to aggravate the evils which it is designed to cure. . . . The 



