The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-12-15
RUIN OF THE RACE.
New and Startling Views of a
Hardheaded Scientist.
roo MUCH MEDICAL SCIENCE.
Sanitary Progress Threatens the Deferi-
Grafton ana Ultimate Extinction
o. the Human Race.
View Yosk Times.


ton mas been invented and has unaues-
tionabiy done much TO decrease the an
nual death rate. People have now
chance 70 recover from ailments that we're
formerly uniformly fatal. and babies who,
had they been born amid the sanitary con-
citions which prevailed fifty years since,
must inevitably have died. nov success
fully pass Through the lnfaDtile struggle
for existence. We live In houses which
are. as q rule. reasonably safe. and drink
water which is occasionally wholesome.
whereas our fathers lived in houses that
were the nurseries II disease and drank
water from wells that we're almost inyaria-
bly, contaminated
While the Malthuxian monrns this pro-
cess 81 lengthening human life and decreas-
Ing the death rate, since il Is, in bis view, =
long step in the direction of the universal
famine prophesied 81 Mr. Nautilus. the
shorts sighted philanthropist is delighted.
So much suffering, 20 he thinks has been
alIeviated. and so many precious lives have
been prolonged or saved BY sanitary science
and medical skill that he is never weary OF
discoursing on the superiority Of the pres
ent 70 all previous centuries. But now
comes the hardheaded scientific person
OF the variety that looks on philanthropy
with contempt. SIS a grossly uuscientitsc
affair. and informs as that the final result
of this medical and sanitary progress viii
be the deterioration and ultimate extinction
Of the human race.
II is asserted that the men OF the last
generation in America we're stronger aud
finer men physically than are their de-
scendants They were taller and heavier.
Hair and teeth, In both Of which the pres
ent American is conspieuously lacking,
were abundant all over America fifty years
ago. Near-sighsedness Was unusual, and
even in Boston women rarely wore spec
tacles until they were 10 or 20 years old.
Certain epidemic diseases were more COM
mon then than they are now, but on the
other hand, chrome inyaidism was some
thing OF which people seldom had reason
70 complain. And yet our forefathers
knew nothing of sanitary science, and they
hahtualiy lived and moved and ate and
drank in the presence OF swarms of germs
of deadly disease, which ought according
TO modern belief. 20 have killed every man.
woman and child in the country. The
careless and unscientifie observer Is apt TO
draw from these facts the conclusion that
sanitary science is useless, and that bad
drainage and contaminated water are of no
consequence. In so doing he is quite
wrong. What the teachers OF sanitary
science teach ns Is perfectly true, but the
superiority of the preceding generation in
physical Fikor II dne precisely 70 its ignor-
ance Of nearly ell sanitary laws.
Though this may seem paradoxicai, the
scientific person 10 whom allusion has just
been made shows il Is literally true. In
the days when sanitary science was un-
known the feeble had little or no chance
for liie The weakly baby died and only
the strong healthy child survived. the
woman who wore herself out in the drug
cry OF the farmhouse, yielded 10 the FIRST
attacks Of disease and promptly died, i'm
stead of dragging out years OF invalid ex-
istence The naFrow-cheSted man could
not intrenoh himself against the attacks OF
consumption and live 10 marry and beget
coYsumptive family. but at 90 or . years
OF age he suceumbed and ia de a wise aud
eelfving end In the struggle fer life only
the strongest survived, and thus the adults
OF an nnscientifc generation were much
! finer men and women than those OF the
generation which fellows the precepts OF
sanitary science.
AT the present time all our efforts are
| directed 60 prolonging the lives OF the
feeble. We manage 90 keep the riekety.
scroluleus baby alive and be grows up TO
| a sickly and miserable manhood. The
men or the women who would formerly
have died before reaching .he marriageabie
| age. now live 10 he the fathers and mothers
/ Of Children inheriting the diseases and the
! weaknesses OF their parents. Sanitary
/ science is not for the strong but for the
| weak. 1t probably does little to prolong
/ the lives OF those who are thoroughly
| healthy. bat il steps into the struggle for
I existence and saves the weak from extine-
/ ton.
The result OF this cannot he beneficial TO
| The human race in the long run. For
| merry nature weeded out the weak aud left
/ the strong 80 propagate the race. We,
| with cur superior enlightenment ask the
weak and diseased 20 become the pFogen-
/ itors of future generations. Fer un4oubt-
eslIv they are more numerous than the
healthy and strong. In the important
/ work OF the preparation of the race. szui-
4 tafv science has made the least healthy
{ pArt Of the community the most pTumi-
/ nent. The result viii be that from genera
] ton 20 generation man viii continue TO de-
I tersorate physically until he vanlshes tom
/ tna earth.
II ihrse views. pat forth with merriless
+ elearness BY the h4Tdhesded scientific per
son, are true. then oar proper course il
plain. We should destroy all hooks OF
/ sanitary science ard forbid any man 20
teach It's pestsleat doctrines. We shoulG
rrtarn o. the CID methods q drainage and
/ house warming. which we know 30 be
/ deadly. aud should drink 10 water that Is
nos certified b. reputable physicians %
contain an abundance 81 TYPHOID
/ lever xerns Oar children should he
/ exposed "a every available coasa-
ssoas 90 Infectious disease. aud every
Death should e. hailed a. = benefit 20 the
{ sossagn sutty. strict consistency woald also
& rvaaire us-alwsys In tEse history Of hu-
( namity 80 pet ssl the physicians aud sur
/ eeans 60 death and 70 encourage the mar
+ utaetnzzFs OF qusek azsaselasS. That the
/ scsenude nxrs0a had not recommended
f this coarse i rather oad, unless, indeed
+ - assume that either be has not the coaT-
sre az his opinions. or else that be has &c
1 cassnnzs lucid intervals.
&