EUGENICS (from Greek tilts* well born). According to Francis Galton, the great English scientist who, in 1883, first used the term °eugenics," this branch of learning "is the science which deals with all influences that im prove the inborn qualities of a race." Within the scope of such influences Galton included all forces that tend to produce an increase in the number of such individuals as possess desirable hereditary qualities and a decrease in the num ber of those whose transmissible traits are un desirable. As applied to the human race Galton admitted that differences of opinion exist as to what hereditary traits are desirable and what are not. A warrior may approve pugnacity, a statesman, tolerance. An hereditary trait ex pressing itself in one of these qualities might easily prove unfavorable for the development of the other. Who, then, is to decide what qualities are really favorable? Galton met this difficulty by pointing out the fact that few per sons would fail to consider desirable such fundamental qualities as health, energy and ability. In a lecture before the Sociological Society of London in 1904 he reviewed some of the results that in his opinion would follow if the British nation through the practice of eugenics were to raise its average quality to that of its better half. °The general tone of domestic, social and pOlitical life would be less foolish, less frivolous, less excitable and polit ically more provident than now. Its dem agogues who 'Played to the gallery' would play to a more sensible gallery than at present. We should be better fitted to fulfil our vast imperial opportunities. Lastly men of an order of abil ity which is now very rare would become more frequent because the level out of which they rose would itself have risen." It is evident, from the foregoing, that knowledge of the laws of heredity is requisite if eugenics is to be sci entific in fact as well as in aim. .Such knowl edge must necessarily include ability to tell not only what traits are transmissible by physiolog ical processes but also the extent to which they are heritable. If these laws be given as known factors, the eugenist then becomes interested in discussing how they may be utilized. He wishes to know who are the bearers of the de sirable hereditary traits and how they may be led to contribute a relatively large proportion of offspring to the succeeding generation. Like wise he wishes to know who are the bearers of undesirable hereditary traits and how their contributions may be minimized. Still further, having ascertained these facts he wishes by propagandist methods to spread abroad what ever knowledge exists within the field and by practical measures to better the breed of man.
The idea that, like the animals, the breed of man may be improved by a conscious selective process is by no means modern. It appears even in early Chinese literature. Plato's sug gestions on this subject in the 'Republic' are too well known to dwell upon. Some of the Roman classical writers even give, explicit rules of procedure. The modern eugenics movement, however, dates from the publication in 1865 of two articles on "Hereditary Talent and Char acter" by Francis Galton in Macmillan's Maga zine for that year. So far as its scientific foun dation is concerned, the origin of eugenics may be considered identical with the beginnings of biology. For this no specific date can be as signed because the history of biology — as most excellently outlined by Prof. H. F. Osborne in (From the Greeks to be traced from a very early period. Nevertheless it was Darwin's 'Origin of Species' that in 1859 inaugurated the distinctly modern period of biological investigation. The rapid and wide spread acceptance of Darwin's contention that the most fundamental characteristics of all liv ing organisms are subject to change naturally prepared the public mind for a practical pro gram for bettering those characteristics. There fore when in 1869 under the title of 'Hereditary Genius,' Galton presented extensive biographi cal studies in support of the contention that great ability is hereditary his ideas received widespread attention. An increasing literature
on this and other phases of the problem soon popularized the subject. Eminent English writers, such as Wallace, Greg and even Dar win himself took part in the movement. In 1873 the appearance of Alphonse de Candolle's 'Histoire des sciences et des savants' marked the beginning of the interest of continental in vestigators. In the same year appeared Ribot's 'L'Heredite psychologique.' Later, Georg Hansen's 'Die drei Bevolkerungstufen,) Am mon's studies of an anthropological character and Lepouge's 'Les selections sociales' raised the question whether the assumed Aryan race was not suffering from a "reversed selection" caused by the attraction of the best stock to cities and a failure to reproduce therein. The subject matter of de Candolle's work was closely related to that of Galton's. The conclu sions reached in the former's book, however, did not fully support Galton's belief that spe cialized ability is hereditary. Galton imme diately replied to it in an effective manner and shortly after brought out his classic (English Men of Science: their Nature and Nurture) In this he set forth additional carefully com piled data indicating the supremacy of nature over nurture. Shortly after these hopeful be ginnings popular interest in the field now known as eugenics waned in England and for more than two decades little attention was paid to the scientific side of the subject. It is true that during this period Galton produced two important works 'Inquiries into Human Fac ulty and its Development' and