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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1400 



propaganda. She maintained that we should 

 be more concerned with knowing than with do- 

 ing. Ascertained facts do not require propa- 



It is sometimes asserted that research in 

 eugenics belongs to the realm of applied 

 science, and much of it does. But not all. 

 There are fields of eugenical research, es- 

 pecially in human genetics, that are pure re- 

 search in as much as they are devoted to in- 

 vestigations that can not be carried out so well 

 on any other material. For example, inherit- 

 ance of psychological traits, of temjierament 

 and of sense perception. 



In so far as eugenics may lay claim to being 

 a science, it has not only a subject matter — but 

 also a method of its own. In studying the 

 genetics of the lower animals, we proceed by 

 the method of control of matings. Now this 

 method is obviously not applicable to man in 

 modern civilized countries. It has to be re- 

 placed by the collection of the history of ma- 

 tings that have been already made and a study 

 of their progeny. We replace the experimental 

 mating of the geneticist with the principle 

 that every fertile human mating is an experi- 

 ment in genetics, and it is for us to record the 

 result of the experiment. Some day, we may 

 hope, human matings will be carried beyond 

 the stage of experiment. 



At present, then, the student of human 

 genetics must collect data on human matings 

 and their outcome. Of course, he must know, 

 as thoroughly as he can, the genetic nature of 

 the matings; so that he can give the probable 

 genetic composition of the gametes. This 

 means that he must know for the mated pair, 

 the parents, uncles and aunts and their chil- 

 dren. He can then check his findings by study- 

 ing the traits of the children. Since the 

 capacity of one man for collecting by himself 

 is very limited, it is necessary to train ob- 

 servers to collect data. Hence has arisen the 

 profession of eugenical field worker whose 

 function it is to study through three or more 

 generations and as analytically as possible all 

 the members of an inter-generating group so 

 that their probable genetic composition may 

 be known. By gathering together in one de- 



pository a large quantity of carefully ascer- 

 tained family data, the basis is laid for human 

 genetical studies. 



The history of the development of the 

 method of eugenical field workers is not a long 

 one. Dr. Alexander Graham Bell was one of 

 the first to use it extensively in this country. 

 He employed such field workers in his study 

 of deaf mutes especially those of Martha's 

 Vineyard, in the early eighties. The Rever- 

 end Oscar McCulloch made use of field work- 

 ers in his study of the Ishmaelites in the 

 nineties, and at the Vineland Training School 

 such workers were employed before 1910. A 

 large number of eugenical field workers 

 (about 200) have been trained by the Eugen- 

 ics Record Office since its beginning in 1910. 



Besides trained field workers, numerous 

 volunteers are in a position to contribute data. 

 Thus, in 1884, Francis Galton distributed his 

 questionnaires called " Record of Family Fac- 

 ulties," and over 150 persons volunteered to 

 fill them out and return them to him for study. 

 The Eugenics Record Office has made use of 

 a similar questionnaire called " Record of 

 Family Traits," of which 4,000, of varying de- 

 grees of excellence, have been deposited in that 

 office. Some of these " Records " are excep- 

 tionally valuable. It appears that many per- 

 sons show the capacity for and interest in fill- 

 ing out such schedules excellently. A few 

 others will take the pains to make a still more 

 detailed analysis of the individuals of their 

 families. Many of these records have to be 

 considered as finders merely; as guides to 

 further inquiries. 



Additional records that are often of value 

 are the printed genealogies and town histories, 

 of which so many have been printed in this 

 country, especially for the northeastern section. 

 In addition, biographies, especially sets of bio- 

 graphies relating to members of a single 

 family, will yield to the analyst of human 

 traits data of the greatest importance. Finally 

 all records — those of field workers, of volun- 

 teers and the printed records — must be indexed 

 by name, place and trait so that their contents 

 shall be readily available. 



In inquiries into human genetics it is de- 



