II. THE FEEBLE-MINDED 



Certain great degenerate families in America have been made 

 the subject of study and their histories recorded. Notably among 

 these are the Jukes, whose history was first written by Robert L. 

 Dugdale more than forty years ago, and the Kallikaks, more 

 recently studied by Henry Herbert Goddard. It is interesting 

 to read and compare these two volumes, as the older one was con- 

 cerned with the influence of environment rather than heredity, 

 while the latter one presents a study in heredity. 



The problems connected with the presence of the feeble-minded 

 in society have of recent years become familiar to all who read the 

 magazines and newspapers. The general public has in a measure 

 come to understand the necessity of institutional care and the 

 preventing of procreation among defectives. 



We know now that w^e have to deal with a growing group in our com- 

 munity who demand permanent care and control as well for their own 

 sakes as for the welfare of the community. All are now agreed on the 

 general principle of segregation, but it is true that something more than 

 this should be forthcoming. The difficulties of theory are clearing up as 

 our wider view obtains a firmer grasp of our material, but the difficulties 

 of practice are still before us.^ 



It was formerly believed that feeble mindedness was mainly 

 due to depravity, drink, general disease, or malnutrition of the 

 parents, and to environmental conditions, but these factors, tho 

 recognized as serious and frequent, are no longer believed to be 

 fundamental. 



Feeble-mindedness is essentially a variation, belonging to the same large 

 class as all other biological variations, occurring, for the most part, in the 

 first place spontaneously, but strongly tending to be inherited. It thus 

 resembles congenital cataract, deaf -mutism, the susceptibility to tuberculous 

 infection, etc' 



The problem of care of the low grade feeble-minded is com- 

 paratively easily solved, because he is so obviously a helpless and 

 irresponsible member of society and can best be cared for in an 

 institution. The higher type, the moron, is less obviously men- 

 tally defective, can often be an earning power in the family and 

 thus an asset. This may be a more potent factor as an argument 

 for keeping him within the family circle than family ties and 



iDr. R. J. Ryie at Conference on Feeble-mindedness (British Medical Journal), 

 October 3, 1911. 



2 Havelock EUis, Introduction to The Task of Social Hygiene, p. 33. 



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