Are We a Declining Race ? 



to show later on, by reference to other medical 

 works. 



Numerous works were produced by Conti- 

 nental writers during the eighteenth and nine- 

 teenth centuries, dealing with this question, and 

 many and varied w r ere the opinions called forth. 



It would appear that England had kept itself 

 comparatively free from the grosser evil until 

 well into the nineteenth century, for we find 

 very little mention of it until that time. Daniel 

 Defoe, although severely criticising matrimonial 

 indiscrimination in his satire, " Conjugal Lewd- 

 ness," made no mention of solitary vice. Had such 

 been prevalent inEngland atthetimeof his writing 

 (1727), it would hardly have escaped his atten- 

 tion, and would have called forth more scathing 

 denunciation even than matrimonial wantonness. 

 This apparent immunity might be accounted for 

 by the comparative isolation brought about by 

 the sea barrier. At any rate, the physical decline 

 was not so apparent among the English people 

 until after the Peninsular War, when our troops 

 probably became contaminated with the vice, as 

 they certainly were with syphilitic diseases. 

 That masturbation was prevalent among Con- 

 tinental troops is evident by the statement of 

 M. Christian : " Armees en campagne, matelots 

 isol s sur les navires, tous payent leur tribut a 

 cette loi fatale." Seamen, also, may have helped 

 to introduce it in Great Britain. 



Evidence of a rapid deterioration during the 

 last century is traceable in the reduction of the 

 standard for recruits in the army. In 1845 the 

 standard of height in the British army was 5 ft. 



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