256 HEREDITY IN RELATION TO EUGENICS 



bodily traits which are so large a burden to our population? 

 This question has often l^n aisked. It has been answered 

 in diverse ways, andiy in4«d, there are several methods of 

 stopping the reprodu^ior||Df undesirable traits. 



There is, first, tJi«aiet|iod of surgical operation. This 

 prevents reproductiqj by either destroying or locking up 

 germ cells. There dve two principal methods of surgical 

 interference. One is castration, which removes the repro- 

 ductive gland and destroys sexual desire. The other is 

 vasectomy which prevents the escape of the germ cells to 

 the exterior but does not lessen desire. Neither of these 

 operations is necessarily painful or liable to cause death or 

 much inconvenience to the males. Corresponding opera- 

 tions can be performed on the female but they are more 

 serious in this sex since they involve opening the abdominal 

 cavity. 



Concerning the power of the state to operate on selected 

 persons there can be little doubt, not only since the right 

 to the greater deprivation — that of life — includes the right 

 to the lesser deprivation — that of reproduction — but also 

 since these operations are actually made to-day and that 

 of sterihzation is legalized, under certain precautions, in 

 six states of the union. There is no question that if every 

 feeble-minded, epileptic, insane, or criminalistic person now 

 in the United States were operated on this year there would 

 be an enormous reduction of the population of our institu- 

 tions 25 or 30 years hence; but is it certain that such asex- 

 ualization or sterilization is, on the whole, the best treat- 

 ment? Is there any other method which will interfere less 

 with natural conditions and bring about the same or per- 

 haps better results? One is struck by the contrast between 

 the haste shown in legislating on so serious a matter com- 

 pared with the hesitation in appropriating even a small sum 

 of money to study the subject. 



