The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-10-09
CHECK BIRTH OF
ALL DETECTIVES
DR.. Woods Hutchinson Would
SegTegate Unfit.
SAYS97 Per CENT ARE NORMAL

Laws Made to Govern the 8 Per Cent
of Detectives Cypress the Vast Ma
iority, Who Are Honest and Law
Abiding.
Dealing with the science of eugenics
and race welfare from a wholly orig
inal point of view, DR.. Woods Hutch
inson, clinical professor of medicine
at the New York Polytechnic, delivered
recently before the concluding session
of the American Public Health asso-
which not only aroused the interest of
the convention, but also promises to
produce widespread discussion. DR..
Hutchinson asserted on the basis of
his studies and research that society
may not yet hope to bring about at
will the birth of geniuses, but that 1t
could and should prevent the birth Of
detectives. The cardinal doctrine set
forth was that the negative side of
eugenics was the important one, the
vital thing to be accomplished through
this science of race welfare being the
prevention of ill bornness."
DIR. Hutchinson spoke before an au-
dience which overcrowded the hall in
its desire to hear his interesting theme
and was enthusiastically applauded.
Not all of his doctrine was accepted
by eminent specialists present. His
views were debated by DR.. S. Adol-
phus KnOpf of the New York Post
graduate Medical school, Peter II.
Brice, superintendent of immigration
at Ottawa, Canada, and others. DR..
Knopf and Mr.. Brice and others chal-
lenged the argument that the defec-
tives and i'll born were the result of
hereditary causes and not produced
by the strain of civilization and its
evils.
Is Alcoholism Inherited7
DR.. Hutchinson insisted that alcohol
ism, feeble mindedness and like Ills
were the result Of congenital conditions.
DIR. Knopf challenged this statement
vigorously. He insisted that insanity
and alcoholism might be acquired and
that these evils were not necessarily In
herited Dr. Hutchinson said he ad-
mitted much that was said, but as to
the claim that insanity and alcoholism
were acquired diseases and not inherit
ed he demanded the proof. He con-
tended that in all cases where these
evils had been traced back through the
family it was found that the evil or
disease sprang from heredity.
Dr. Hutchinson was emphatic in say
ing that the general average Of the
race was good and that the detectives
were the exception rather than the
rule. Not more than 2 or 3 per cent
of the race were born defective, he
said and this was very consoling. The
other 81 per cent were born normal,
and the real friend of eugenics, DR..
Hutchinson declared, was the man who
recognized this fact.
"The first thing to be done in mega
tive eugenics," asserted DR.. Hutchin-
son, "is to determine who the unfit
children are, and that can only be
achieved by a thorough school census.
We should begin inspection at the third
year, at least, of all children. Then
as soon as the to per cent OF all
children who are hereditarily defective
are determined they should be given
such a training as will fit them for the
part they are likely to play In life.
Then they should either be segregated
in open air farm colonies or sterilized.
AS rapidly as public sentiment will per
NIT all adult criminals of the habitual
kind should be sterilized.
Genius Seldom Reproduced.
"Eugenics has two divisions, preven-
ton of the reproduction Of detectives
and encouragement Of the production
of the specially fit. The feeling of
most of us who have worked on the
matter is that in the first division much
can be accomplished and that about
the latter we do not yet know enough
to achieve any remarkable results.
While geniuses are exceptions, they
certainly do not reproduce themselves
-biologically they are accidental vari-
ations-and their families often are de-
ficient in some respects"
DIR. Hutchinson said the next thing
is for us to alter our attitude toward
the plain people.
"The trouble with most of u.s." he
continued, 'is that we have actually
taken this or per cent Of congenital
detectives as the ones all men are la
BILE to become unless held in check by
the strong arm of the law. We allow
that to color our laws and influence
our lawmaking. This has produced a
code which for stupidity, reactiveness
and crudity is hard to match
1--WE have been making laws for and
inficting punishment upon 81 per cent
of the community, which laws and
punishment are only intended for the
3 per cent Of detectives. The vast
majority of men are law abiding and
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