The Washington herald., 1912-09-15
Physician Traces
Taillt of Insanity
WeH-known Doctor-Fipe Generations Are
Included in Investigation.

practices were common everywhere. But
while the ether brarcl OF the family
| has had t~%aty-four victims OF habitual
drunkenness, this side scores only two.
Feeble-mindedness. the price hundreds
| Of people have paid for old Martin KALI
kak's momentary indiscretion. makes
paupers and criminals. Taxpayers. the
ultimate consumers" pay q great price.
not In heredity but in dollars
1t is high time the public recognizes
the tragedy of feeble-mindedness- II is
difficult to appeal to mans love for bis
fellow-man in taking up great ques-
ton. but when his pocketbook IL touched
he evfnces interest.
Let him therefore reflect on these facts.
DR. Goddard says that at least 3 per
cent OF criminals are feeble-minded. One
hundred admissions to the Rahwny On.
j. Reformatory, taken in order Of ad-
mission. show at least 2s per cent Of
them distinctly feeble-minded, with the
certainty that the percentage would be
much higher II were included the bor-
der-liEe cases
Mentally Defective.
Out of 100 children in the Detention
Home OF Newark. n. j.. 81 per cent are
distinctly feeble-minded or IS girls
from a Massachusetts, reformatory out on
probation, 50 of them are distinctly fee
ble-nlinded- This was partially a select
ed group. the basis being their trouble
someness.
The superintendent OF EImira Reform
tory estimates 20 per cent of his inti-
mates are mentally defective. and 1t 10
believed fully 80 per cent OF the inmates
of most penal institutions are feeble
minded. A large percentage OF prosti-
tutes are mental detectives
The Kallikak family presents a natural
experiment in heredity. A young man
Of good family becomes. through two
different women. the ancestor Of two
lines OF descendants-the cne character.
lied by thoroughly good. respectable,
normal citizenship. with almost no ex-
ceptions: the other being equally char
acterized by mental defect in every gen.
Grafton. This defect was transmitted
through the father in the first genera
ton In the later generations more de-
feet was brought in from other families
through marriage. In the last genera
ton 1t was transmitted through the
mother. so that we have here all COM
binations OF transmission. which again
proves the truly hereditary character Of
the defect
We find on the good side OF the family
prominent people in all walks OF life.
and nearly all OF the 4sS descendants
bad side We find paupers. criminals. pros
titutes, drunkards, and examples OF all
forms of social pest with which modern
society is burdened.
Is Heredity Taint.
From this We conclude that feeble
mindedness is largely responsible for
these social sores. Feeble-mindedness Is
hereditary and transmitted as surely as
any other character. We cannot sue
cessfully cope with these conditions un-
til We recognize feeble-mindedness and
its hereditary nature-recognize II early
and take care OF it.
The public conscience must be aroused
TO the evils attendant upon feeble-mind-
edness. so that the subject could bs
treated fearlessly and firmly.
Sterilization OF criminals and mental
detectives OF all classes is logical. sensi-
bic. and effective. The operation Is trtv-
ial and harmless and absolutely prevents
rrocreation. II this were to be carried
out. many Of our institutions could be
closed, our criminal classes would be
epileptics. inebriates, and the
various types OF persons OF deficient
mentality would be startlingly less, and
society would eventually be raised to a
higher plane.
Eight States. or one-sixth OF those in
the Union, have wearied OF the increas-
ing burdens put upon them by these un-
fortunate classes, and have enacted laws
calling for the sterilization OF certain
prescribed persons.