Providing an extensive history of the development of eugenic thinking and its application in the united states and great britain, kevles describes legislation, court cases, religious viewpoints, scientific flaws, the rise of. Lady deverishs behaviour, the two characters combine to become diametric. Kevles notes, somewhat dryly, that eugenicists identified human worth with the qualities they presumed themselves to possessthe sort that facilitated passage through schools, universities and professional training. The interesting aspect of the eugenics movement is that it was mainstream science.
Daniel kevles s ideas appeared first as annals of eugenics in the new yorker 1984 2, 4. The case is considered a pivotal moment in eugenics movement, but i take a look at her personhood and discuss eugenics through a disability rights framework. And then they taught that eugenics the old eugenics was the province of quacks and amateurs, and not the mainstream science that it really was. Review kevles makes clear the symbiotic relations between the genuine science of genetics and the political programs and prejudices of the eugenicists. Eugenics purported to provide a scientific solution to a. According to galton, who was a cousin of charles darwin 18091883, civilization diminishes the rigor of natural selection or survival of the fittest and preserves the unfit. Eugenics the word eugenics was coined in 1883 by the british writer and pioneer of statistics, sir francis galton 18201911, and defined as the improvement or repair of the qualities of.
The holocaust is the most apt example of negative eugenics that involved the mass murder of not just homosexuals and the physically disabled but also attempted to wipe out an entire race of people. Full text of in the name of eugenics genetics and the uses. Its literal meaninggood birthsuggests a suitable goal for all prospective parents, yet its historical connotations tie it to the selective breeding programs, horrifying concentration camps, medical experiments, and mass exterminations promoted by germanys nazi regime in world war ii. How genetics affects your child and what you can do about it. Hays founded the american breeders association aba, later known as the american genetic association aga. Jul 19, 2017 the holocaust is the most apt example of negative eugenics that involved the mass murder of not just homosexuals and the physically disabled but also attempted to wipe out an entire race of people. He could begin to foresee how material progress could positively combine with bi ological. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Rutgers university press, 1963 and daniel kevles, in the name of eugenics. But at the end of the 20th century, biotechnological techniques and other agendas are making forms of human eugenics plausible. It was supported and encouraged by a wide swath of people, including politicians, scientists. Every genetics textbook of the era advanced the case of eugenics, showing how genetics could be used to solve social problems, if we.
The eugenics movement began in the united states in the early part of the 20 th century. It is rich in narrative, anecdote, attention to human detail, and stories of competition among scientists who have dominated. Between haller and kevles several histories of american eugenics appeared. It came out in book form in 1985 as in the name of eugenics, reprinted several times. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading in the name of eugenics. Pdf on apr 1, 2014, erika dyck and others published history of eugenics. In the name of eugenics genetics and the uses of human heredity by daniel j. Facts about the eugenics movement in america for kids. As galton defined it in essays in eugenics 1909, eugenics is the study of agencies under social control which may improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations p.
The word eugenics was coined in 1883 by the english scientist francis galton, a cousin of charles darwin, to promote the ideal of perfecting the. For an excellent history of eugenics, see kevles 1985. Hereditarian attitudes in american thought new brunswick, nj. Given the ongoing relevance and citation of eugenics in ethical and theological discussions in the context of science and technology, kevles. The aba focused on the presumed hereditary differences between human races an popularized the ideas of selective breeding of superior stock and the. Eugenic practice includes the systematic elimination of socalled. Genetics and the uses of human heredity new ed by kevles, daniel j. I have authored a piece in a disability literary journal on the subject.
This is the second version of a pdf i drafted in 2015. The word eugenics was coined in 1883 by the english scientist francis galton, a cousin of charles darwin, to promote the ideal of perfecting the human race by, as he put it, getting rid of its. In the late 19th century, eugenicsa set of ideas about the biological. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Comments on daniel kevles and maria kronfeldners papers. In his in the name of eugenics 1985, an invaluable source for everyone interested in this strange movement, historian daniel j. A history of eugenics in the united states and germany. Donald pickens, eugenics and the progressives 1968, kenneth. In the name of eugenics traces the history of the eugenics movement in the united states and britain, beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing up to the mid1980s and was the first significant analysis of eugenics after a long period during which the movement had been ignored as a subject of popular and scholarly interest.
Reform eugenics and the decline of mendelism sciencedirect. The term eugenics was coined in 1883 by british explorer and natural scientist francis galton, who, influenced by charles darwins theory of natural selection, advocated a system that would allow the more suitable races or strains of blood a better. There was one book on eugenics published in the 1960s by mark haller and one in the 1970s by kenneth ludmerer. Full text of in the name of eugenics genetics and the. Kevles is an american historian of science best known for his books on american physics and eugenics and for a wideranging body. Eugenics is a term loaded with historical significance and a strong negative valence. The history of eugenics in the united states is discussed at length in mark haller, eugenics. The rediscovery of the scientific work of gregor mendel in 1900 led to modern genetics, and an understanding of how heredity worked. Daniel kevles s in the name of eugenics will be an influential and important contribution to the study of this debateas well as to our understanding of the comparative development of human genetics in england and the united states. Language watch edit active discussions kevles, daniel j. The word eugenics from the greek eugenes or wellborn was coined in 1883 by francis galton, an englishman and cousin of charles darwin, who applied darwinian science to develop theories about heredity and good or noble birth. Genetics and the uses of human heredity kindle edition by kevles, daniel j download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Retrospectives eugenics and economics in the progressive era. Full text of in the name of eugenics genetics and the uses of human heredity see other formats.
Eugenics in 1883 francis galton coined the term eugenics as the logical extent of natural selection, a theory first proposed by his cousin charles darwin at the conclusion of the descent of man. The term eugenics was coined in 1883 by british explorer and natural scientist francis galton, who, influenced by charles darwins theory of natural selection, advocated a system that would allow the more suitable races or strains of blood a better chance. Essays in eugenics by francis galton macmillan, 1909 author. In 1926 the american eugenics society aes, financed by the american museum of natural history in new york, was established in america by madison grant, harry h. Pdf in the name of eugenics download full pdf book. The history of eugenics issues in science and technology. Laughlin, henry crampton, irving fisher, and henry f. Mendel himself experimented on peas, and found that many characteristics of the pea plants, such as their colour or their height, could be turned on and off through heredity like a switch. Observing the mating habits of animals, darwin drew the. Knopf, 1985, the latter being the standard survey work on. The term eugenics, from the greek meaning good birth, was coined by british scientist francis galton 1822 1911. The most comprehensive history of eugenics in the united states and the united kingdom, connecting the early twentiethcentury eugenics movement with subsequent developments in genetics and with debates over the role of genetics in human. The plan of the eugenics movement was that since the poor had these genes for feeblemindedness, which led them to misery, vice, and crime, the obvious solution to american social problems was to sterilize them, and restrict the immigration of more poor. Even so, former ussr, not nazi germany was the first country to put eugenics at the center of its politics.
Eugenics, the selection of desired heritable characteristics in order to improve future generations, typically in reference to humans. Plato suggested applying the principles of selective. Language watch edit active discussions eugenics in free thesaurus. In the name of eugenics serves to provide key insights into how eugenic ideas persisted throughout the twentieth century, and to show the key features of the eugenics movement as it developed. He is stanley woodward professor of history, emeritus at yale university and j. Daniel kevles traces the study and practice of eugenicsthe science of improving the human species by exploiting theories of heredityfrom its inception in the late nineteenth century to its most recent manifestation within the field of genetic engineering. Similarly, the american geneticist charles davenport was a lifelong promoter of eugenics, and wrote one of its first textbooks.
Chapter 3 there is no doubt of the support given to eugenics by professional scientists of undoubted repute. The first national eugenics association, suppported by one state was created by lenin himself, in january, 1918. The role of hereditary ideas in explaining human difference has had a long and tenacious historyand has been particularly important in the present century. Eugenics coined from the greek for well bred implied the antonym dysgenics ill bred. Eugenics simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Kevles offered readers a comparative analysis of eugenics in the united states and in britain that, as he explained, merged the history of science with social.
Summary daniel kevles traces the study and practice of eugenics the science of improving the human species by exploiting theories of heredity from its inception in the late 19th century to its most recent manifestation within the field of genetic engineering. Essays in eugenics by francis galton macmillan, 1909. Daniel kevles traces the study and practice of eugenics the science of improving the human species by exploiting theories of heredity from its inception in. From the 1900s through the 1960s, both variants of eugenics strongly influenced public health policies and attitudes on local and national levels in the united states hansen, king, 20. In the united states, eugenics became a very popular idea in the early 20th century.
Bibliography includes bibliographical references p. Osborn to promote eugenic education programs for the us public with exhibits at state fairs. His research and writings encompass the interplay of science, technology, and society past and present with a focus on the united states. On page 191, theres just a few swntences about this.
Kevles born 2 march 1939 in philadelphia, pennsylvania is an american historian of science best known for his books on american physics and eugenics and for a wideranging body of scholarship on science and technology in modern societies. Genetics and the uses of human heredity kevles, daniel j. Kevles born 2 march 1939 in philadelphia, pennsylvania is an american historian of science best known for his books on american physics and eugenics and for a wideranging body of scholarship on science and technology in modern. The human race today stands at a threshold unlike any in the past.
1035 1237 1149 440 435 16 1218 1208 1271 573 808 409 232 1476 1571 285 463 463 694 940 1191 291 448 924 638 1590 503 288 1292 298 916 1140 1262 196 1331