Breeding Contempt

by Largent, Mark A.

• ISBN13: 9780813541822
• ISBN10: 0813541824
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-11-30
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

The book begins in the 19th century when physicians began discussing the possibility of sterilizing degenerate citizens. By the turn of the century, other professionals championed the cause and lawmakers in two-thirds of the US had enacted laws that required the sterilization of various criminals, mental health patients epileptics and syphilitics.

Author Biography

Mark A. Largent is an assistant professor of science policy and directs the Science, Technology, Environment, and Public Policy Specialization at James Madison College at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: In the Name of Progress	p. 1
Nipping the Problem in the Bud	p. 11
Eugenics and the Professionalization of American Biology	p. 39
The Legislative Solution	p. 64
Buck v. Bell and the First Organized Resistance to Coerced Sterilization	p. 96
The Professions Retreat	p. 116
Conclusion: The New Coerced Sterilization Movement	p. 138
Bibliography of Twentieth-Century American Biology Textbooks	p. 149
Notes	p. 157
Bibliography	p. 181
Index	p. 201
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