Eugenics in race and state.

  • International Congress of Eugenics
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Eugenics in race and state. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    386/534 (page 370)
    370 A. F. TREDGOLD of the body, such as the brain and muscles, each produce their own specific secretion, which is essential to the well-being of the organism. Now there is not the slightest doubt that the germ plasm contains within it in some form or other representatives of all the organs and tissues to which it will give rise when fertilized; and these representatives are known as determinants. May it not be then that the specific secretion produced by each organ of the individual niay have a selective action upon the corre¬ sponding determinant within his germ plasm, and by its nature or amount tend to increase the developmental potentiality of that determinant? To put the case in more concrete form may we not imagine that an increased development and activity of brain may be accompanied by an increased brain secretion, which will so stimulate the corresponding germinal deter¬ minant as to increase its potentiality for growth? This, of course, is at present mere conjecture, but it does not seem alto¬ gether unreasonable. However this may be, I am strongly disposed to think that there is evidence to the effect that qualities acquired by the in¬ dividual which are the result of increased development may, in course of time, lead to a heightened capacity for such development in his offspring; indeed I regard this as one of the means by which progressive evolution has been brought about. I see no reason why the development of mental capac¬ ity produced in the individual by the stimulus of education and exercise of mind, continued generation after generation, should be any exception. The social grades in democratic countries are not separated by any rigid barriers, they are connected by almost insensible gradations; nevertheless there are many individuals who are the descendants of stocks who have for generations worked with their heads, and there are other stocks who have for generations worked with their hands and toiled with the sweat of their brow in a simple capacity. I think there is no doubt that the educability of the former is distinctly higher than is that of the latter. May this differ¬ ence be explained in the manner I have just described? May the same explanation account for the differences existing, between different races? I think it is not impossible. It is to be remarked, however, that if an augmentation of this kind takes place, it is certainly extremely slow; there is no question of quick returns, and it is practically certain that many generations must elapse before any change could be perceived. Further, for such progressive evolution to take place, not only must the necessary stimulus be continued over a long period, but the germ plasm must be healthy and of unimpaired power of response. Given these conditions, then, I think that a high degree of educability and good mental capacity are the natural and normal sequence. And when we