dren. [Page xxvi]

A distinguished insurance expert has proved that there was an increase of
nearly 100 per cent. in the mortality from degenerative diseases in the
United States between 1880 and 1909. The growing prevalence of these
diseases indicates a falling-off in the vitality of the race. It means that
the diseases of old age are invading the younger ranks.

The Life Extension Institute, of New York City, in its recent report,
states that "forty of every hundred men and women employed in the Wall
Street district require medical attention; twenty of the forty need it
immediately, and ten of the forty must have it to avert serious results."

There are from one-quarter to three-quarters of a million of preventable
deaths every years in this country. That number of individuals could have
been saved with proper care and attention to health in the early stages of
disease, or before it gained a start. Practically all the diseases that
carry business men off prematurely are curable in the early stages.

Of the percentage of Wall Street men who need medical attention
immediately, most have kidney or heart disease. The others are victims of
typical unhygienic habits, such as fast, gluttonous eating, neglect of
exercise, too much tobacco and liquor, and bad posturing in the office. The
business man considers these trifles, but they count heavily.

Business efficiency is greatly increased, first, by selecting men
physically fit for work, and, second, by keeping them in that condition.
There is a tremendous waste from inefficiency constantly going on, due to
impaired health. Wall Street has an astonishing corps of neurasthenics.

We need a broader interpretation of the term Eugenics, so that we may gain
a more sympathetic and tolerant audience. The remedy does not lie in an
academic discussion of these problems; to continue the debate behind closed
doors will not lead anywhere: the public must be educated to a just
appreciation of existing conditions and the remedy must be the product of
effort on its part.

Any condition that fundamentally means race deterioration must be [xxvii]
rendered intolerable. The prevalant dancing craze is an anti-eugenic
institution, as is the popularity of the delicatessen store. No sane person
can regard with complacency the vicious environment in which the future
mothers of the race "tango" their time, their morals, and their vitality
away. We do not assume to pass judgment on the merits o