Dysgenics

Dysgenics (also called cacogenics) is the belief that peoples' genes may get worse over the course of generations.

The adjective "dysgenics" is the antonym of "eugenics". It was first used about 1915 by David Starr Jordan. He thought there might be dysgenic effects in World War I.Oxford English Dictionary Jordan believed that healthy men were as likely to die in modern warfare as anyone else and that war killed only the physically healthy men of the populace whilst preserving the disabled at home.

The theme was picked up more recently.Richards, Lynn 1996. Dysgenics: genetic deterioration in modern populations. Westport, CT: Praeger. Neither version has been proved.

 References 

Category:Genetics
Category:Eugenics