South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-06-25

continue TO do so for some time yet.
And the question is: What is best to
he done under these circumstances
While there may be honest difference
of opinion among experts whether
the community can be injured by the
birth Of too many children of vigor-
Gus, healthy stock in a family, even
though more than can be adequately
fed and trained, there is no question
at all or difference Of opinion as TO
the grave undesira blcness of the un-
limited production of weakly or de-
fective children. The former ought TO
be kept within strlcteSt limits, the
latter never permitted TO be born at
all.
Fortunately the great majority of
family defects are of the durable. or
cOrrectable, class, providing that the
children are given every advantage
and opportunity in the way of food.
sunshine. fresh air and protection
from infection and overwork. Which
in very large number if not the ma
iOrity OF families is decidedly what
they cannot have, If there are too
many of them, in proportion 10 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 is
not. strictly speaking, hereditary. in
the sense that it is directly transmitted
from parent to child; but it is prac-
tically very likely to reappear in the
second generation, partly because the
children have inherited the weak con-
stituUon which made their parents
subject TO it. Partly because the eX-
Ii II. Lot .aWnes
and personal contact between parents
and children make the transmission
of TIE infection almost unavoidable.
IN fact the only way that il can be
avoided is by plenty of house room,
the most ScrupulOUs care and the best
and richest of foods for the child
from the very day of birth on, avoid
ing the natural first upply. 1t is in
the children Of cOnsumptiyes, espec-
tally If crowded together and under
fed, that we are most apt TO lind not
only pulmonary tuberculosis and con-
sumption of the bowels. but more than
half of the pitiful diseases of the spine
and joints. which used TO make our
cripples and our hunchbacks were
born and brought up in this type of
families
Yet limit the number of the children
Of tuberculosis but intelligent. indus
triOus and otherwise desirable parents
TO two or three. so that each one can
have a separate room, plenty of air
and sunshine and the best of food
and live a happy childhood in the
open air until Is or Is. and they may
grow up strong, hearty and vigorous
and the curse may disappear in a
single generation And tuberculosis
alone causes not merely One-tenth of
all our deaths, but half OF our Grip
piles "a quarter Of our sickness and a
third of our poverty.
Quite a number Of other diseases
come i'm this same class Of which tuber-
culosis is the type. not directly hered-
itary. but very likely to appear unless
careful precautions are taken. The
number is larger than we at one time
thought for the careful tracing of
pedigrees and family diseases in the
course OF our recent study of heredity
has shown that number Of the So
called chronic diseases are quite apt
10 reappear i'm successive generations
Some of these. like govt. rheumatism
and Brights disease. are prObab bly,
special ways of reacting to various in
fections: others depend upon diet,
others upon habits of life, particularly
the amount OF time spent in the open
air. whether in work or play. But
the point is that all OF these tenden-
cieS are either preNentabie or capable
OF marked improvement by giving in
dividual care and the best of nutrition
and surroundings TO each child which
can only be done for a moderate or
limited number.
These minor or durable family tend
encies fortunately also Ind 10 neu-
tralize one another. or 20 he overcome
by vigorous and dominant family
strains. So that. unless they hap
pen 10 be present in both parents. the
chances are ut least five 10 one that
il this neutralizing tendency be sup
ported by the best OF ueutritiOn and
SURROUNDINGS i'm childhood the disease
Will not reappear. 1T is practically
seldom necessary for individuals with
these diseases in their families. or
even displaying them themselves. if
otherwise i'm fairly good health and
vigor. 10 refrain from marriage or
10 refuse 10 have children: but only
10 limit them 10 such number and at
such intervals and periods as would
neither impair their own health nor
prevent them from giving each child
the most careful and adequate per-
sonal attention and protection.