A National Problem
THE author is one who views with alarm, and he has written this volume to stimulate the complacent public to action-concerning, one of the most serious national problems of the day. The book is a good example of literary shock tactics -; and his clear, concise and forcible style enables the author to make most effective thrusts. Alarming facts, state- ments and quotations follow one another at a breathless pace. The reader is spared the trouble of drawing his own conclusions ; these are stated for him, very dogmatically.
The main theme is that sterilization of the unfit provides the best safeguard against racial degeneration. It is the most economical method from the national standpoint, and at the same time the most humane for the unfit individual. Emphasis is placed upon official pronouncements that institutional accommodation for the mentally defective and insane in our country is totally inadequate at present, and that large numbers of the " unfit " are left in the general community to propagate inferior,stoek. The apthorstates that numbers of the higher 'grade 'feeble-minded men and women can be par- tially -or wholly self-supporting in the economic sense, and the segregation of this group in colonies would be unnecessary if they were sterilized.
Mr. Gallichan's purpose has been to write a popular manual for the lay public ; and therefore it would be unreasonable to expect the book to satisfy the tests generally applied to scientific works. The author, however, bases his argument upon -what he obviously believes and wishes the reader to accept. as scientific data ; and these should be examined critically.
One of the first problems about which we naturally seek information in this volume is that of the constitution of the group of " unfit " persons. The author devotes a chapter to " Who are the Unfit ? " ; but it is the most disappointing in the book. We miss in it the aggressive assertiveness so characteristic of the other chapters. In fact, the author writes much about persons who though not normal cannot be classed as unfit. The following quotation is but one instance of his- vague answer to the question :— " There are thousands of hysterical • subjects who cannot be placed among the Unfit. Strictly speaking, the Fit are in the minority, if we mean by fitness a very high development of mental efficiency."
The author bases his argument mostly upon the inheritance of mental: defect:. There are, _however, many, indications in this book that he has not in intimate knowledge or wide experience of mental defectives. He seems to be convinced on prima fade grounds that sterilization is the best method of dealing with this eugenic problem ; and has perused the works of various writers to find facts in support of his con- tention. So many irresponsible statements and exaggerated estimates have been made concerning mental deficiency that it would be a relatively easy task to quote so-called- scientific' data in support of most fantastic solutions.
Reliable scientific data relating to the inheritance of mental defects are very scarce ; and the author of this volume gives no indication of the proportion of mental defectives now existing who are born of parents themselves defective. Until this knowledge is obtained it is impossible to claim that sterilization is the best method of dealing with this complicated problem of race degeneration. Should the contention of the Joint Mental-Deficiency Committee that the large majority_ of the parents. f defectives though they belong to.the "sub-normal" group of the community are not so low grade that they can be actually certified as mentally defective prove to be right, sterilization as a practical remedial measure scarcely deserves
serious consideration. .
The propagandist finds it convenient to ignore disconcerting facts ; and this doubtless accounts for the misleading, state- ments on the loose cover of this volume. We are told that " America has led in this humanitarian measure. . . . Twenty- three of the American States have enforced sterilization -0 the hopelessly unfit." The chapter in which the author discusses the measures adopted in America leads the unsophisticated reader to a similar conclusion. But what are the facts ? The Report of the Mental Deficiency Committee states that " sterilization laws have been passed in about twenty American States . . . . but only in two American States have these laws been enforced on any considerable scale." Therefore the verdict of America is overwhelmingly against sterilization. It is true that in California a few hundred persons have been sterilized.; and in passing we may note that a considerable number of these seem so high-grade that medical officers in this country would not certify them as mentally defective. A generation or two will have to pass before it will be possible to assess the eugenic benefits.of these measures to the community in this particular state. In the meantime, let ns hope the British people will tackle this problem seriously along lines more consonant with their national tradition for sound common sense.
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