Sociological papers. Vol. 3 / by G. Archdall Reid [and others].

  • Reid, G. Archdall (George Archdall O'Brien), Sir, 1860-1929.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Sociological papers. Vol. 3 / by G. Archdall Reid [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    cause him to become sterile. It is this failure to realise that the drunken individual -is able to, and does, bring into existence a large family to perpetuate his type before he is destroyed by alcoholic influences that, in my opinion, renders Reid’s view untenable; though I feel that his insistance on the influence of disease is both right and in some senses novel. My view and his may be thus compared :— Tayler. (1) Progressing social environments necessarily increasingly protect physically while they expose the individual mentally to greater dangers. (2) The lowermost areas of society are freest from these physically protecting influences, hence neo- genic types are destroyed, and paleogenic survive in slum sur- roundings. (3) With higher social conditions, the diseases testing physical endurance are destroyed by hygienic developments, but others arise that test mental tenacity and strength. (4) Heredity and environmental se- lection the chief factors in race evolution. (5) Slums favour barbaric types and are social and individual evils. (6) Education may develop or spoil but it cannot create capacity; this is innate and of paramount importance. (7) Social opportunity based upon a relative as well as an absolute type fitness is an unconscious but efficient eugenic factor. (8) To some diseases all races have to acquire resistance, developing by selective elimination. (Reid) Reid. (1) Races through selection must acquire resistance to disease and narcotics. Disease not evolu- tionally significant. (2) Slum or conscious eugenic in- fluence necessary. (3) Educative influences paramount in the human individual.