January 13, 19 10] 



NA TURE 



305 



only be ascertained by reference to the narrative of the 

 cruises. 



The last forty pages contain an instalment of the 

 biological work accomplished on the cruises. The 

 subjects treated are :— Fishes, by Mr. E. W. L. Holt 

 and Mr. L. W. Byrne; Amphipods and Isopods, with 

 descriptions of two new species, by Mr. W. M. Tatter- 

 sall; and Pyrosoma spinosum, by Mr. G. P. Farran. 



The printing, illustrations, and get-up of the book 

 are excellent, and a few misprints and obscurities, 

 chiefly in the earlier pages, do not seriously detract 

 from the value of Dr. Wolfenden's contribution to 

 oceanography. It is to be hoped that we soon may 

 have a second volume dealing further with the large 

 amount of biological material which must have been 

 amassed. 



THE CASE FOR EUGENICS. 

 The Family and the Nation: a Study in Natural In- 

 heritance and Social Responsibility. By W. C. 

 Dampier Whetham, F.R.S., and Catherine Burning 

 Whetham. Pp. viii + 233. (London: Longmans, 

 Green and Co., 1909.) Price 7^. 6d. net. 



THE power of heredity," writes Mr. Whetham, 

 "is an old story; 'family likeness,' 'family 

 characteristics,' ' family temper,' are expressions which 

 convey ideas well known to all men. Yet with amaz- 

 ing inconsistency we have taken little if any account 

 of such knowledge in our conduct, little if any in 

 our theories of social and political life. We have 

 talked and acted as though it were of no account how 

 men were bred, or what classes of the community were 

 reproducing themselves fastest and what declining 

 in number, as long as each individual was enabled by 

 improved conditions to pass his brief lifetime in in- 

 creased comfort and security." 



It is the dutv of preachers of eugenics, a duty 

 conscientiously undertaken by the author, to end this 

 state of affairs; to teach our future statesmen what 

 biological factors govern the rise and fall of nations, 

 and to educate public opinion in such a way that, 

 aided by the legislation that will then be possible, it 

 will insist on the more rapid multiplication of the 

 desirable components in our society, and aim at the 

 elimination of the rotten parts which now permeate it. 

 Mr. Whetham 's book cannot fail to influence all who 

 read it. He writes with the clearness and vigour 

 which flow from conviction based on clear thinking; 

 and thus, having the facts with him, presents a strong 

 case strongly. 



The line of argument adopted is as follows. First, 

 the importance of heredity is insisted on, and the 

 methods by which it is being studied scientifically are 

 described, namely, the analytical method initiated by 

 Mendel and developed by Prof. Bateson and others, 

 and the statistical method originated by Sir Francis 

 Gallon and extended by Prof. Karl Pearson. 



Many pedigrees are given as instances of inheritance 

 in man, and are illustrated by diagrams like those 

 published in the "Treasury of Human Inheritance," 

 now being produced by the Galton Laboratory. The 

 important question of the relative influence of heredity 

 and environment is referred to, but since there is very 

 little evidence available for discussion, it necessarily 

 NO. 2098, VOL. 82] 



receives but scanty treatment. As the author points 

 out, the only quantitative study of the subject yet 

 published is the work of Barrington and Pearson on 

 keenness of vision and defects of eyesight. They 

 found that no measurable relation exists between 

 powers of vision and environment, whereas the influ- 

 ence of heredity is well marked. 



Two chapters follow, the one on the inheritance of 

 mental defect, and the other on the inheritance of 

 ability, the latter being based largely on Sir Francis 

 Galton 's " Hereditary Genius." The influence of 

 heredity is further shown in an examination of the 

 circumstances causing the rise, fall, or extinction of 

 families, and finally the effect of heredity acting in 

 coniunction with a differential birth-rate is treated 

 very fully. 



It is a well-known fact that the birth-rate in Great 

 Britain fell from 36 per looo in 1876 to 27 per 1000 

 in 1907. This in itself may give cause for alarm, 

 but the most serious feature of the fall is that it has 

 not been the same in all classes. If the lowest 

 stratum of society had been afl'ected equally with the 

 higher strata, the 27 per 1000 would have been reduced 

 to a much lower figure. As it is, the lowest stratum 

 is as prolific as before, therefore our birth-rate has 

 become selective. The least valuable portions of the 

 population are selected to contribute a disproportion- 

 atelv large share of the next generation, by the action 

 of the more valuable portions in bringing about at 

 anv rate a partial self-elimination. 



The author gives historical instances, in which the 

 action of a selective birth-rate produced by various 

 causes has influenced the rise and fall of nations. As 

 an example we may quote the influence of the Domini- 

 can and Franciscan monks, of whom the former came 

 to England in 1220, the latter in 1224. Through their 

 preaching and persuasion, the majority of our men of 

 intellect were drawn into the monasteries and thus 

 rendered sterile. Roger Bacon, i\dam Marsh, Robert 

 Grosseteste, Dun Scotus, and Occham are but a few- 

 names from a host of others. As a result came the 

 stagnation of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, 

 which was only ended by the overthrow of the monas- 

 teries in the time of Henry YIU. Then followed the 

 " glories of the Elizabethan age," and " a period of 

 scientific and literary activity, which carried England 

 on through the seventeenth century." 



In conclusion, we may heartily recommend this book 

 to those who are interested in the study of heredity as 

 affecting human societies. It is no disparagement to 

 say that the arguments used have many points in 

 common with the teaching of Prof. Karl Pearson. To 

 him, as well as to Sir Francis Galton, all those who 

 write on eugenics must owe a debt. E. H. J. S. 



INDI.AN WOODS .AND THEIR USES. 

 Indian Woods and their Uses. By R. S. Troup. 

 Pp. 273+ccxviii. (Calcutta: Government Printing 

 Oftice, 1909.) Price 4;^. 



1->HIS work is the outcome of a gradual develop- 

 ment of research on the part of the Indian 

 Forest Department. The foundation of the system 

 now instituted was laid in 1883, when Dr. (now 



