Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-03
Ehering the Human Race Stream

pose the producing OF higher. sounder.
filter type OF humanity In each success
sive generation. There's no danger OF
our stopping II, or even permanently dis
couraging e. We couldn't II We tried.
Az the French quantity say: Cest plus
fort que moi. CIT is stronger than we
are."l
hut the majority OF people marry first
and think or find out about these things
afterward, and probably will continue to
do SO for some time yet. And the ques-
ton is: WHAT Ia best to he done under
these circumstances? While there may
I've honest difference OF opinion among
experts. whether the community can be
injured by the birth OF too many chill
dren OF vigorous, healthy stock In a
family. even though more than can be
| adequately fed and trained. there IL no
question at all or difference of opinion
as to the grave undesraoieness of the
unlimited production of weakly or defect
! tive children. The former ought - be
4 kept within the strictest limits, the latter
never permitted to be born ct all
! Fortunately the great majority OF fam
! lily defects are OF the durable or cor
reotable. class. providing that the chill
dren are given every advantage and or
, portunity IN the way OF food. sunshine,
fresh air ana protection from infection
and ovorwork. Which. In a very large
number, II not the majority OF families,
IL decidedly what they cannot have, II
there are too many Of them. In proper
ton TO the bread-and- butter and house
room.
First and most important among those
diseases likely TO reappear In children
comes consumption and other forms of
tuberculosis. This disease IL not, strictly
speaking. hereditary in the sense that
II IA directly transmitted from parent 20
child; but Il is practically very likely 20
reappear in the second generation. partly
because their childrens have inherited
the weak constitution which made their
parents subject 30 II. Partly because the
exceedingly close and intimate relations
and personal contact between parents and
children make the transmission OF the
infection almost unavoidable.
In fact the only way that it can be
avoided Is by plenty Of house room. the
most scrlrpulous care and the best and
richest Of foods for the child from the
very day OF birth on. avoiding the natura
first supply II is IN the children Of con
sumptives. especially II crowded together
and underfed, that we are most apt &C
find not only pulmonary tuberculosis and
consumption OF the bowels. but more thar
half OF tho pitiful diseases OF the spine
and the joints. which used to make oul
crIppics and our hunchbacks, were borr
and brought up in this type Of families
Yet limit the number Of the children
Of tuberculous but Intelligent, industrious
and otherwise desirable parents to TIVE
or three 10 that each one can have Z
separate room, plenty of air and sunligh
and the beet OF food and live happ!
childhood In the open air until IS or IL
and they may grow up strong, hearty an
vigorous and the curse may disappear II
n single geheration. And tuberculosi
alone causes not merely one-tenth of al
our deaths, but half OF our cripples.
quarter OF our sickness and third o
our poverty.
Quite a number OF other diseases conn
4 in this same class OF which tuberculosis
IL the type. not directly hereditary. bu
very likely TO appear unless careful pre-
cautions are taken, The number is large
than we at one time thought, for tn
careful tracing of pedlgrees and famil'
diseases in the course OF our recent stud
OF heredity has shown that number o
the so-called chronic diseases are quilt
apt to reappear in successive generations
Some OF these, like govt, rheumatism an
Brightls disease. are probably specia
ways OF reacting to various infections
others depend upon diet. others upoI
habits Of life. particularly the amount o
time spent in the open air, whether Il
work or play. But the point is that all o
these tendencies are either preventable o
capable or marked Improvement by Civ
anG individual care and the best o
nutrition and surroundings to each child