A History of British Eugenics since 1865

This book examines British eugenics from its origins in 1865 to the early 1990s. It considers the two institutions promoting the doctrine: the Galton Laboratory attached to the University of London; and the Eugenics Society. It charts internal and ideological changes across more than a century, seeing eugenics as primarily a political movement. The doctrine had influence on British society and guided adherents ranging from scientists to charitable ladies. The Galton Laboratory published detailed studies of heredity. It transformed itself into a centre for medical genetics after the Second World War. As early as the 1920s, the Eugenics Society was the mainspring of the doctrine, formulating what became the British version of an international ideology. It began as applied social Darwinism, later incorporating a greater degree of meritocracy and amelioration. Its support for sterilization in the 1930s eroded the kudos it had gained in policy-making circles. From the 1960s, organized eugenics was especially a forum for learned and popular discussion of biology and sociology. Medical advances after 1970 aided its continuation, notably the growth of assisted reproductive technologies. The book presents British eugenics as mostly shaped by domestic concerns, offering new revelations and interpretations with the capacity to readjust historical thinking. It also covers contemporary bioethical and political issues aligned to eugenics.

Provides a clear and authoritative introduction to British eugenics from its beginnings in 1865 to the 1990s Offers insights relevant to present-day concerns surrounding assisted reproduction and gene therapy Examines both the Galton Laboratory and the Eugenics Society, the two focal points of eugenics in Britain

Auteur

David Redvaldsen is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Agder, in Norway.

Contenu

1. Introduction.- 2. Francis Galton and the Early Days of Eugenics.- 3. The Galton Laboratory until 1945.- 4. The Eugenics Society until 1945.- 5. Eugenics between 1945 and 1990.- 6. Eugenics and New Technologies of Reproduction.- 7. Conclusion.