Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-06-05

M cones ioi viii
SN IN Q x raordinavy
proposition in re-
gard to the time-honored institution Of
marriage. Here are his views on the
subject: Persons of weak constitution,
or who have any disease lurking in
their system, he says, and especially
those suffering from consumption, epil-
epsy, a cancerous growth, mental Inn
becility or alcoholism. frequently have
sickly or badly formed children, who
are stamped with the physical or moral
blemishes of their parents, from the
evil effects of which they are wholly
unable to escape. Still this form of
heredity, though extremely frequent, is
not fatal; it assumes the most unex-
pected DISCUSSES and hence the malady
inherited by the child sometimes diff
fers very much from that which af-
fiicts the father. For this reason II is
impossible to frame a Jaw prohibiting
certain classes of persons in modern
society from marrying. And yet, asks
DIR. Toulouse, is II not deplorable to see
SO many unhappy persons born daily
into the world, who are doomed by
their origin to be degenerates? He has
been ~brooding over this subject for
some time and now comes forward with
a remedy. Marriage, he points out. is
simply a contract the object of which
is to insure the p%erpetuity and pros
perity of the human race. This con-
tract, then, considered from a purely
sanitary point OF view, should always
be made in good faith. Health is a
more important factor in married life
than money, and the man who con-
ceals from his intended bride the ex-
istence of any hereditary, and presum-
ably any acquired, disease is as guilty
OF a breach of truth as though he were
to conceal from her the fact that he
was on the verge Of bankruptcy. In
common justice then, says DR.. Tou-
louise, the marriage contract should be
reversible in all cases where there is
any deception in this matter of dis
ease, and divorce be promptly granted.
Only in this way can we be assured of
happy marriages. healthy children and
a prosperous society. But he goes even
further. If a husband or a wife, he
says, conceals the existence Of a
hereditary blemish, and il there is born
to this couple a child who is continually
sick, unable to earn a livelihood, and
who is an exceptional expense to the
parents. then that parent who has de-
ceived the other should be compelled
to pay to the marriage partner a large
amount of money as damages. DR..
Toulouse thinks that a law should be
passed to this effect, and he explains
how it could easily be made operative.
Furthermore, he claims that a bureau
should be established with the object
of looking after the health of individu-
ais. In other words, he proposes that
this bureau shall be furnished with
passports showing the condition of
health of all persons in the community.
A recent law obliges physicians to keep
a record Of all cases of contagious dis
eases which are brought to their no.
tice, and DR.. Toulouse maintains that
the same %precaution should be OBJ
served in the case of nervous and MAJ
tai maladies and of all others which #
fict the ace and are likely to be trar.s-
mitted from n generation to another.
If this were done the result would be
that the authorities would have under
their hands and could see at a glance
the mental and physical condition of all
persons within their Jurisdiction. Each
passport, it is suggested, should bear
a number, and in this way the identity
of the person described therein would
be known only to the chief of the pu-
reau and to n or two confidential
clerks. In other words, it would be a
strictly professional secret. In one
sense, too. these passports would only
be of scientific interest, for it Is not
suggested that they should be brought
into use in the case Of persons about
to marry. Without the aid of these
tell-tale documents, however, it is diff
cult to see how persons applying for a
divorce or for pecuniary damages in
the case of sickly children could always
yubstantiate their claims. DR.. Toulouse
SO far as | can learn, does not suggest
they should tbe used ff66ils such purpose sss
but some of his critics do not refrain
from limiting that the passports MAY
be used in this way. They also point
out that in times Of general elections
these documents, showing the mental
and physical status of all persons,
might prove of great service, at least,
in the hands of an unscrupulous gov
eminent. But this is not the only OBJ
lection which has been made to DR..
| Toulouse's proposed law. 'Theoretic-
ally says DR.. Maurice de Fleury, ''his
idea is Just, but in practice it would
almost certainly give rise to quarrels
and interminable and singularly pain
full lawsuits. DR. Toulouse knows as
well as ] do that homeopathic heredity
is rarely one-sided and that a mysteri-
GUS attraction impels the offending
parties. to seek each others society, to
live together, to get married and to
give life to children who will partalSe
Of their double blemish. and who will,
SO to speak, be doubly degenerate, as
though implacable nature were hasten
ing to make an. end of such an effete
race"