Remarks of Dr. Geo. B. Peters, of Hardeman : on his bill to prevent the marriage of cousins of the first degree, in Senate, December 9, 1859.

  • Peters, Geo. B.
Date:
[1859?]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks of Dr. Geo. B. Peters, of Hardeman : on his bill to prevent the marriage of cousins of the first degree, in Senate, December 9, 1859. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    ^ / REMARKS OF > % On his Bill to Prevent the Marriage of Cousins <jf tWFiHt4e%he? '^ ^ APR. 10. 1916 V 1'E, DEC, ^on-G^f^is Office. Mr. PETE! anCholy offspring I obnoxious to such is larger anion- si ons than among the fruits inary marriages. Wc find among the ti ns of the American i.l Associition, a eight hundred am tj -three obs marriages of consanguinity of vj relationship, furnished from th< to-wit : Maine. 'J by Vei ! iasssachuss tts, ■ ecticut. 5] b York, :it by Pennsylvania, ;;:; by v. - i.v ire, 2 by Maryland, 2t bj Virginia. 11 by North Carolina, 3 by South Carolina. 30 Vlabama, 14 b\ ■ ky, W7 b) by Illinois, i ana, 18 by < >hio, 3-1 bj : by Wisci _ Of these there are ten casi other and half twelve of uncle anil nejee, or aunt and ne- and thirty of first coi ory. 'i his report goes on to show that the i su< I are by one hundred per cent more liable to consumption, scoi hydrocephalus r heroditoi the offsprings oi persons who are nol relati Of the ten marriages of brother and hall sister there were thirty-One children born in the ;■■; gate: of that number twenty-nine were to-wit: nineteen were idiots. ,,ie epetiptic, five scofulous. and eleven others deformed ; one family of five children all idiots, one of seven children, sis could not speak so a-, to be undei'stood. Of the twelve marriages of upcle ami neice. oi aunt ami nephew, lie.-re were in the . Hfty- thi'te childi'en. of this number forty were to-wit one deaf and dumb, three blind bovn. three idiots, one insaii. one epcliptic. thirteen anil the other nineteen dfective, were deform some w iy. Of tho sixty-one marria weie themselves the there werj born 247 children, were defective, 128, to-wit: 9 were deal rmifo idiots. 4 insane, 4 epileptic, 44 were i | then :'. to-wit: 2 wen ■■ rib. 2 born blind, (.if tli o ; f m te coursi are o a man aud his grand daughter, produced oue . depravity is complete. In the centage estuous mnr- cle and niece. tJn> 8 of COUsi' ! ot' velari' of the first degree, the ner ecu ,a.t as you recede from the ■ht stock, the proportion of the iscuous marriages, where : rents v re were born 8:57 chil- dren. Of these 18 were defective, to-wit: '.', were . blind, 6 idiots, 1 insane, 3 epilep- tic. 1 scrofulous—a little over 2 per cent. From the foregoing, it i= evident there is the sity of a law to prevent this alarming state of affairs. of a grievance of some kind or of he i of every hi w in in all governments, and the necessity of ameliorate of \\ hatever nature it may have been, ha elicited the attention of Legisla- tures, and evoked from such bodies enactments to oi' persons and property, to re- tram the vicious and to promote fare and prosperity. they have generally given to the the which en -torn iias entailed upon the human by incestuous marriages, thereby tolerating one oi' ■ inous evil.-, to mental and hysical lias ever invaded the sanctuary of me that has been practiced ftbm tin d which now prevails ir less extent, I believe; in every coun- ion the face of the globe. The trans- • of divine laws has suspended over him the wrath of Omnipotence: the tra ,• of hu- man laws has the penalties of those laws allotted him; the tra jemc laws promotive of health and! to wit: the inebriate ai debauch iffer all the ills which follow in the train of a premature old age. inviting an early d < - : linst the laws ot pvopa- ievance for which this hill is liitve visited upon them the terribli in riveted upon their unoffending cal or mental degeneracy, ov ir. And whilst your L es have books witli laws providing ther orders of nuisance, this mostini- su'bjcct, affoctii ivhple communities, ha lading its blight through every ttion. or such they canker, the frequency of m t>J cou'i- I iiikind wil i i fhteous ■ 'led oublic opin- ion to its odium, ; ition of I ally more incestuous n rri -. a union of w Inch in this ■ everybody However re- • incestu- !-. w nose p.n enta ... ail tUeir elements cou»ii-