Controlling Human Heredity, 1865 to the Present

By Diane B. Paul

Book Overview

Bridging the gap between the scholarly and lay understandings of the history of eugenics, this book aims to enrich the debate on perplexing contemporary choices in genetic medicine. The US experience is compared with that of Canada, Britain, Germany and the Scandinavian countries.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0391039164
• ISBN13: 9780391039162
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Humanities Press Intl
• Length: 158 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great Introductory Survey of the History of Eugenics

Diane Paul has produced a readable and brief introduction to the history of eugenic thought. After an excellent overview chapter, Paul proceeds chronologically from Francis Galton and social Darwinism through twentieth century campaigns for sterilization and immigration restriction in the name of eugenic reform. Paul convincingly argues that eugenics has been used by proponents of a variety of causes and political persuasions, left and right. With announcements every week of the discovery of the gene for some ailment, Paul's book is both timely and important. As the debates over cloning, genetic screening, or gene therapy continue, this book will provide a much needed historical context that can only help as we reflect on today's eugenics.