recent posts
The Continuum of Eugenics Practice...
Posted by
micklos
on
October 22, 2009 |
No Comments
Francis Galton, the English scientist who coined the term, defined eugenics as “the agencies under social control that improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally.” Charles Davenport, the father of the American eugenics movement called it simply “the self direction of human evolution.” These definitions stress differences that...
Francis Galton, the English scientist who coined the term, defined eugenics as “the agencies under social control that improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally.” Charles Davenport, the father of the American eugenics movement called it simply “the self direction of human evolution.” These definitions stress differences that...
Eugenics Archive Extremes...
Posted by
lauter
on
October 8, 2009 |
1 Comment
The Nobel announcements always get people buzzing here at CSHL. This week was particularly exciting because Carol Greider, one of the Physiology or Medicine winners, graced the Lab campus for some years. As another example of science leaked into the mainstream, I learned about a NOVA dramatization on Charles Darwin, as well as a theatrical movie that initially didn’t make it to the US due to...
The Nobel announcements always get people buzzing here at CSHL. This week was particularly exciting because Carol Greider, one of the Physiology or Medicine winners, graced the Lab campus for some years. As another example of science leaked into the mainstream, I learned about a NOVA dramatization on Charles Darwin, as well as a theatrical movie that initially didn’t make it to the US due to...
Twin Studies...
Posted by
lauter
on
September 24, 2009 |
No Comments
Eugenicists studied twins to explore genetic and environmental influences on human behavior. Twins, some raised separate from one another, were tested intellectually and measured physically. Eugenicists were looking to prove that heredity determines everything about an individual. They examined fingerprints, hair and eye color, temperament, memory, measured every body part, and even asked subjects...
Eugenicists studied twins to explore genetic and environmental influences on human behavior. Twins, some raised separate from one another, were tested intellectually and measured physically. Eugenicists were looking to prove that heredity determines everything about an individual. They examined fingerprints, hair and eye color, temperament, memory, measured every body part, and even asked subjects...
It’s All Your Parents’ Fault...
Posted by
lauter
on
September 15, 2009 |
1 Comment
Eugenicists looked at a diversity of “traits” and asserted that many of them were genetically inherited, excluding any other cause. The subjects of the studies often came from unique populations, including circus performers, residents in mental institutions, and even historical figures, long deceased. A quick search in the Eugenics Archive reveals some of the traits studied by Eugenicists: Civic...
Eugenicists looked at a diversity of “traits” and asserted that many of them were genetically inherited, excluding any other cause. The subjects of the studies often came from unique populations, including circus performers, residents in mental institutions, and even historical figures, long deceased. A quick search in the Eugenics Archive reveals some of the traits studied by Eugenicists: Civic...
Health Care and Eugenics...
Posted by
lauter
on
July 16, 2009 |
No Comments
Health care is the burning topic these days. Accusations are flying against government initiatives including terms like sterilization, Nazi, and eugenics. Are these fair characterizations? Decide for yourself by exploring several topic areas in the Eugenics Archive that may sound as if they were discussed at the latest town hall meeting: Birth and Population Control, German/Nazi Eugenics, and Sterilization...
Health care is the burning topic these days. Accusations are flying against government initiatives including terms like sterilization, Nazi, and eugenics. Are these fair characterizations? Decide for yourself by exploring several topic areas in the Eugenics Archive that may sound as if they were discussed at the latest town hall meeting: Birth and Population Control, German/Nazi Eugenics, and Sterilization...
This blog is associated with the Image Archive on the American Eugenics Movement web site. There you can explore documents and photographs of the Eugenics movement from the early decades of the 20th century.