Sterilization for human betterment : a summary of results of 6,000 operations in California, 1909-1929 / by E.S. Gosney ... and Paul Popenoe.

  • Gosney, E. S. (Ezra Seymour), 1855-1942.
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Sterilization for human betterment : a summary of results of 6,000 operations in California, 1909-1929 / by E.S. Gosney ... and Paul Popenoe. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/232 (page XV)
    INTRODUCTION CONDUCT ON PAROLE Of the feeble-minded on parole, two-thirds have gotten along satisfactorily, one-third have been failures due chiefly to dullness and objectionable personality. We have paid special attention to the problem of the effect of sterilization on sexual promis¬ cuity. Among the paroled feeble-minded, we have found no male charged with sex offenses. One in every twelve of the females paroled after steriliza¬ tion becomes a sex offender, but nine out of twelve in the same group were sex offenders before com¬ mitment to the state institution. This improve¬ ment is not wholly due to the effect of steriliza¬ tion, but is doubtless attributable in part to the training they received in the state institution and to the fact that they know they are on parole and will be returned to the state institution if they do not behave themselves. EFFECT ON THE LIFE OF THE PATIENT Sterilization destroys no organ or gland of the body. Our investigations show that it has no effect upon sex desire, sex performance, or sex feeling of the subject, except a favorable psycho¬ logical effect in some cases, particularly where the fear of pregnancy is removed. [ XV ]