MARRIAGE AND INSANITY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1258, 13 October 1911, Page 6

MARRIAGE AND INSANITY.

Sir,—Those who have read the speeches in Hansard No. 3 on tho Mental Defectives Bill must recognise that tho country is under a great obligation to you and the other Wellington editors for bringing tho subject of eugenics beforo the public. For me, eugenics means an attempt to stamp out the worst of alt diseases—insanity; and the time seems opportune to get some measure passed to, at any rate, try to fight this frightful disease. The last twenty years of my lifo having been passed very closo to it, I may, perhaps, be pardoned if I give you my experience, in the hopo that it may assist you in your good work. (1) There is no doubt insanity breeds insanity. I have seen tho dread disease in parents and children. Very often parents escape the asylum by a very narrow margin, but one or more of the offspring become insane. (2) In almost all cases parents mentally afflicted will do all in their power to hide the disease, and get their children married. In cases of this sort parents seem unable to speak the truth, and will always give some excuse if ono of the tamilv is insane. (3) That our marriage laws aro defective, in that they make marriage too easy, and tempt husband or wife to deceive each other. Hero are a few reforms below which are reasonable, and which I. submit to your consideration:— (1) Civil marriage first and foremost, aa many religious ceremonies after as people liked. (2) Registrars would have a list of all tainted families, members of whom had b-.-cn in asylums or afflicted with other hereditary disease. (3) Applicants would apply to registrar for permits to be medically examined. If there was known to be any hereditary disease in applicant's family, tho examining doctors would bo notified by ■the registrar. (1) Any person known to be n member of an hereditarily-tainted family would be barred from marriage unless with a woman who could not produce children. (5) Islands near the mainland to bo utilised to segregate tlio unfit—males in one, females in another, comfortahlv lodged. In the hope these suggestions may bo of use, -1 am, etc., MF,NS SANA.