EUGENIC WORK IN SWEDISH FINLAND 



BY 



OS SI AN SCHAUMAN, M. D. 



PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINGFORS, FINLAND. 



POLITICALLY FINLAND WAS UNITED TO SWEDEN UP TO 1809; 

 it was then conquered by Russia and became an independent republic in 

 1918 after a bloody struggle. Laws, administration, education, in other 

 words, culture in general are chiefly of Swedish origin. 



Finland is inhabited by two different races, the Finnish and the Swedish. 

 The population of Swedish origin amounts at present to 370,000 souls, thus con* 

 stituting only 11.5 % of the whole population. About 10% of the Swedes are 

 spread in small colonies among 

 the Finnish population, while 

 90 % inhabit certain stretches 

 of land along the coast and a 

 great part of the archipelago. 

 These lastnamed districts do 

 not form one connected whole, 

 but consist of three separate 

 territories Nyland, Aboland 

 with the Aland Islands, and 

 Ostrobothnia. The whole area 

 of the Swedish settlements amo* 

 unts to 15,000 square kilome* 

 tres or to 4.5 % of the whole 

 surface of Finland. 



At present about one third 

 of the Swedish against one 

 eighth of the Finnish popula* 

 tion lives in the towns. The 

 country population in Swedish 

 Finland mainly occupy them* 

 selves with farming; the popu* 

 lation of the islands and along 

 the coast are also fishermen and 

 sailors. In Ostrobothnia the 

 greatest part of the land is in 

 the hands of the peasantry. In 

 the other Swedish districts the 

 number of peasant>owners is 

 smaller. 



The knowledge of reading 

 is general. The number of Swe* 



Map showing the domiciliation of Swedes in 

 Finland at present. 



12 



