HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL 

 CONGRESS OF EUGENICS 



HARRY H. LAUGHLIN 



Eugenics Record Office, Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y. 



Eugenics as a pure science has for its purpose the discovery of fundamen- 

 tal truth about race and family-stock improvement. It is therefore, like 

 all science, international in character. It belongs to humanity rather than 

 to any one nation or race. Applied eugenics, like religion, is essentially 

 something for belief and practice; it is not a thing which works well if its 

 imposition on one nation or family is attempted by another. 



Every nation, race and family-stock must set up its own standards of 

 hereditary constitution in physical, physiological and spiritual qualities. 

 The elements of such ideals do and should vary greatly, for specialization 

 in national purpose and family talent is essential and must be developed and 

 conserved. It is thus that the fundamental elements for eugenics are 

 applicable to all nations, and it is therefore necessary, for the sound advance 

 of eugenics both in theory and application, to develop a strong international 

 organization. 



The following summary, here printed as a matter of historic record, 

 shows how such a world-wide organization has been built up. 



Sir Francis Galton, the founder of the science, was also the founder of the 

 first modern eugenics society: "The Eugenics Education Society of Great 

 Britain." In the leadership of this Society, Sir Francis Galton was suc- 

 ceeded by Major Leonard Darwin. 



FIRST CONGRESS, LONDON, 1912 



By 1912 the scientific advance of eugenics in many different countries 

 seemed to warrant an International Congress. Accordingly, Major Dar- 

 win, in the name of the Eugenics Education Society of Great Britain, sent 

 invitations for the First Congress to (1) all societies studying eugenics, race- 

 hygiene and heredity; (2) suggesting delegates from public bodies occupied 

 in administration, education, religion, medicine and law; and (3) inviting 

 all who were interested in the various aspects of eugenics and social reform. 



Accordingly, the First International Congress of Eugenics duly assem- 

 bled in London in July, 1912. As intended, it proved to be a congress of 



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