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.

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    STERILIZATION FOR HUMAN BETTERMENT by the fact that most of the people who break down mentally are not the children of persons, either one of whom has ever had an actual mental breakdown. They come of families that carry this weakness, however, and the union of two weak strains produces a child who, subjected to the necessary stress, gives way. The sterilized insane studied in California would not have enough children to perpetuate their own numbers, even if not sterilized. Higher birth rates have been reported elsewhere, and a widespread investigation should be made to get at the facts on this point. The fecundity of the insane is cut down partly by hospital residence, partly by voluntary action on their part, partly because their lives are shortened by their diseases —the life expectation of the adult insane is per¬ haps no more than one-half that of normal individuals. If the insane do not have enough children to reproduce their own numbers, then it is clear that the constant stream of new admissions to the hos¬ pitals, so far as it is due to heredity, must be largely due to matings of persons who are not themselves insane, but who carry insanity in their germ plasm. This means that they have insane ancestors; likewise insane collateral relatives, in most cases. The number of persons who are them- [6] /