The criminal : an address to the Perthshire Society of Natural Science ; 12th December, 1901 / by A. R. Urquhart.

  • Urquhart A. R.
Date:
1901
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The criminal : an address to the Perthshire Society of Natural Science ; 12th December, 1901 / by A. R. Urquhart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    The Criminal: An Address to the Perthshire Society of Natural Science; 12th December, 1901. By A. R. Urquhart, JIJ.T)., F.R. C.P E. (Reprintedfrom the Perthshire Constitutional.) Although this society is mainly and rightly con- cerned with natural science in relation to our own locality, and has won a high place in the scientific world by the long-continued and ardent devotion of its members to the aims and objects for which it was originally constituted, it has throughout its history kept an open door to every kind of scientific work. It has been educational in the widest sense. In divert- ing attention for a little time to problems more dis- tinctively human, I feel that the interests of our members may be stimulated to good purpose—even in relation to the squalid and repulsive subject now to be briefly considered. In those later days men are more and more concerned with the social welfare— “we are all socialists now.” One need not inquire how far these evolutionary ideas are purely altruistic. At least’ we may admit that the plague spot of crime is a danger to the common weal • and that, as hygienic measures have reduced mortality from preventible diseases, so we may expect more rational methods of dealing with criminals to raise the national standard of morality. I say more rational methods with every emphasis, for we have not yet attained to a pro- cedure which can be characterised by appreciate adjectives. Our dealings with criminals are as yet ill-contrived and haphazard, mainly because of our tenacious hold on ancient formulas and because of our