From generation to generation. Part 2.

Part 2 in a series of 3 short films illustrating the phenomena of heredity in animals and in man which utilises inter-titles, moving film images and animated graphics to put across its message. This part deals with heredity of physical and mental characteristics in humans. We are shown a diagram of a family tree ('pedigree') for a family of boatmen on the Thames, the Phelps family. Their strong healthy physique is singled out and illustrated with film of the men rowing. In contrast we then see the pedigree of a family stricken with 'mental deficiency.' Of the 17 children born to the father who is taken to have 'insanity' in his own family background, 7 show signs of mental deficiency. We see close-up footage of their faces. The film ends by showing how 'mental defectives' are best cared for in special Institutions where their 'danger' to the community, i.e. their ability to pass on their 'insanity' can be checked. The final chilling inter-title states: "But it would have been better by far, for them and the rest of the community, if they had never been born."