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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1053 



selection as seen among most organisms has 

 been measurably checked for certain groups 

 in the human species. Thus a class of indi- 

 viduals with undesirable traits so far as the 

 community as a whole is concerned are be- 

 ginning to make an alarming showing. 



If the increase of defectives is due in 

 large part to a certain restriction of natural 

 selection, is the solution of this problem the 

 reinstatement of that process by a removal 

 of humane protection whereby the defec- 

 tive members of our communities would 

 suffer an early personal removal? Not at 

 all! In my opinion any step in the direc- 

 tion of a curtailment of social help to the 

 defective individual is a step backward. 

 No community can afford such a move. 

 We are at present well enough equipped 

 in our social provisions to extend to such 

 persons a reasonable measure of protection 

 and training whereby they can arrive at 

 the fullness of their slight powers. And such 

 a treatment of them is in my opinion the 

 only right social course. But if society pro- 

 tects them against the attacks of unkind 

 Nature, it is entirely within the rights of 

 society to see that their numbers shall not 

 increase. Such growth may well be the 

 very undoing of society itself. 



The increase of such individuals is an 

 organic rather than a social matter; in 

 some cases the defective is the unquestion- 

 able product of a disease-laden environ- 

 ment, but in most instances he is the off- 

 spring of a defective stock and his present 

 condition is thus chiefly the result of inher- 

 itance. Natural selection would eradicate 

 such a class of defectives by the elimination 

 of the individual before he had reached the 

 reproductive period. But society can ac- 

 complish this end in a vastly more humane 

 way. It can surround the deficient indi- 

 vidual with a reasonable environment and 

 eliminate only his powers of reproduction. 

 Modern biology and surgery have prog- 



ressed far enough to make it reasonably 

 certain that sterilization of both males and 

 females may be accomplished with so little 

 initial and subsequent disturbance to the 

 individual, excepting in so far as his repro- 

 ductive capacity is concerned, that no one 

 can object seriously to this method when 

 legally and humanely employed. Vasect- 

 omy in the male and salpingectomy in the 

 female are operations for the removal of 

 the outlet ducts of the reproductive glands 

 and thus by checking the escape of genital 

 products they very usually sterilize effec- 

 tually the individuals operated upon. They 

 are relatively simple surgical procedures. 

 Since they leave the reproductive glands 

 untouched, they do not involve the impor- 

 tant question of internal secretions, and, 

 as might be expected, they have practically 

 no effect on the personality of those sub- 

 jected to them. They are therefore in every 

 way suited to the purpose at hand. Legis- 

 lative action looking to their adoption has 

 already been taken in several communities, 

 but it is naturally slow in its accomplish- 

 ments, for its support requires behind it a 

 certain amount of public opinion that has 

 not yet had time to crystallize. What some 

 of us regard with impatience as over-delib- 

 erateness on the part of the public and 

 legislators is undoubtedly due to their 

 ignorance of the seriousness of the actual 

 situation and of the simplicity and effect- 

 iveness of the remedies proposed. This 

 part of the eugenics program in no sense 

 contemplates an interference with the lib- 

 erties of what may be called even a small 

 part of the community. It has only a most 

 limited application. The extent of this 

 application is well expressed by the 

 Whethams in their declaration that ' ' except 

 in the case of the feeble-minded, where 

 state interference is glaringly overdue, 

 probably in the case of hopeless habitual 

 criminals, and possibly in the case of 



