HEALTH DECLARATION BEFORE MARRIAGE 223 



State, intended to guarantee that neither of the parties were suffering from 

 a disease or affection that might be injurious to the life and health of the 

 other party or to the possible offspring. 



It was pointed out that we in our Society of today and in our state ad- 

 ministration are in need of: 



1. An institution to search for the sources of social evils. 



2. A biological and psychological registration of the whole nation. 



3. A training in the higher school which would make the young girls 



more fit for motherhood. 



4. An institution for diffusion of knowledge respecting the renewal, the 



nourishment and the health of the population. 



5. A biological control of immigration. 



6. A judicial system founded upon biological principles: we shall not 



treat the crime but the criminal. 



7. An educational system that will form characters and develop mental 



powers, instead of cramming for examination. 



8. A public health system based principally on prophylactic work: 



prevention not only cure of the great national diseases, especially 

 venereal diseases, free stations for treatment. (Health declaration 

 before marriage, maternity insurance.) 



In short, a state administration based upon biological principles. 



In support of the amendment to the marriage law it was pointed out by 

 the petitioner, "that there are diseases and tendencies to disease, as well 

 as mental and physical defects, which experience has shown are either 

 congenital or inherited. Children who are subject to defects of this nature, 

 unless they die in infancy, are the source of great trouble to their parents 

 and a burden to the public. If they subsequently marry, the evil will be 

 carried further, often through generations, affecting an everwidening circle 

 of individuals." 



The chief object of a health declaration before marriage is to discover 

 whether, in either of the contracting parties, or their families, there are 

 diseases or tendencies to diseases such as alcoholism, tuberculosis, insanity, 

 criminal tendencies (as a result of inherited defective mental development) 

 or venereal diseases. Especially the latter are of greater significance than 

 most other illnesses (plagues). 



It was further pointed out in the bill that manual examination would be 

 attended by certain disadvantages which are of such a nature as to render 

 the introduction of an obligatory medical examination before marriage in- 

 advisable. The disease from which society would especially endeavour to 

 protect itself through such legislation, namely, syphilis, frequently cannot 



