116 HEREDITY [ch. 



depends the central question of social reform. If 

 man is to any appreciable extent the creature of his 

 environment, then improved conditions will improve 

 the race. But if, as the study of heredity suggests, 

 though it would be rash to say it is proved, man 

 is almost entirely the product of inborn factors 

 which are little aflFected by environment, then 

 improved conditions may only encourage the pro- 

 pagation of the degenerate, and the race as a 

 whole may go back rather than forward. Respon- 

 sible students are not lacking who maintain that this 

 is already taking place. It is said that the increase 

 of insanity which is believed to have taken place 

 in modern times is due to the provision of asylums 

 where the insane are properly cared for and fre- 

 quently discharged as 'cured.' When the insane 

 were treated on the ' strait jacket ' system no cure 

 could be eflfected, and so the unfortunates could not 

 recover to propagate their kind. But on the present 

 system it not infrequently happens that the insane 

 are enabled to bring into the world large families, so 

 that it is not improbable that the increase in number 

 may be due to this, rather than to the increased 

 strain of modern conditions. No one would advocate 

 a return to the old system, but some restriction 

 on the reproduction of the mentally deficient is 

 undoubtedly demanded by modern knowledge of 

 heredity. 



