The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-12

Also on the fact that the fathers of the l coming generation will be largely, as the I result of the war, physical and mental cripples.
 Some such results of war from eugenic | standpoint are already becoming visible. After a year of fighting, facts are avail able as to mortality and morbidity rate in large population cencers; as to infant
 mortality; and as to the state of health of newborn children. The Interurban Union of Rhenish-W Westphalia's report shows that eugenic havoc is being wrought by war. The ratio of unhealthy persons to healthy increases; the propor- tion of weak and diseased newborn chill dren increases; and the death rate (not counting losses in battle) increase In towns where a fifth of the population has been taken for soldering, the number of deaths has fallen off only one-ninth. The proportion of sick persons registered in the sick insurance bureau increases pro-
 gressively. In the first six months of war 1t was nearly twice $ great as in peace time. After the second six months it was three times greater. As one class of soldier after another was sent to the front, the ratio of healthy citizens de- clined.
 First went the active army reserve and landwehr; next the younger classes of the landstrum; next the older classes of landsturm Then the state called up the supply reserve men, wno had had nc
 peace training, and never expected to serve. Exempted men and healthy men over age volunteered. Up went the death rate. In seven of the Rhenish-W Westphal- ian towns it rose to 35i per 1000 Before the war it was b per 1000 The death ! rate among the elderly and decrepit rises u xf% o<
 extra work. ''The towns" says the re- port. will never see again great part of their healthy population, for thou sands who come back from the war will no longer count as healthy. We must expect an unfavorable hea:ln rate and a much increased death rate for gen. eration after the war"
 BIRTH STATISTICS
 War is affecting the birth statistics Less children are being born; and their physical condition is bad. In Germany 5O0GO0 less children will be born in the year beginning May, 1915. The fathers o1 the missing children would have been reservists of the active army, or land. wehr men, or vOlunteers-all men well un. der middle age. From the standpoint o1 increasing the population, their families have ceased to exist. The cripples ano men of bad health are at home; and the m pii ln rdte III lHeir IdmllleS IS over normal Children of perfectly sound stock have practically ceased to be born. In the Rhenish industrial towns the birth rate since May has fallen off by one-third But the number of stil-born children children who died within a week of birth and defective children is only slightly lower than it was in peace; and the ratio of such children to all the children born IS very much greater Defective chil. dren are no longer anomalies to be re- gretted; they are what we must expect to have.''
 War is confirming scientific doctrines
 which never before were tested in prac-
 tice. Eugenists and patno1ogists held that
 elderly and physically unfit parents usu- ally have unfit offsprings, but they could
 not prove this by statistics. It is now be-
 Ing proved beyond doubt. The healthy
 fathers are all at the war: and the chil-