CRIME AND HEREDITY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1541, 10 September 1912, Page 8

CRIME AND HEREDITY.

•'. "'EUGENICS. SOCIETY. ... At a' meeting, in connection with ' the Eugenics Society, held at the Museum Library last evening, the Rev. J. Kayll delivered an interesting, lecture on "Criminality." Professor Kirk was in the chair. • . .

In a brief introduction to his subject, Mr. Kayll expressed regret that as yet there was not any great English or American writer on - criminality. ■ Lonibroso, the Italian writer,- was et'ill almost universally recognised , as tho lea ding , authority; and he thought it would bo as well to briefly sketch Loinbroso's chief works and more general theories. Lombroso, after exhaustive research, formed the theory that criminals boro striking resemblance to tho lower vertebrates and the lower class of human beings. He oven advanced this theory to includo certain plants, whose hrtbits he described as distinctly criminal. Further, it was found in (he more savage and primitive races of mankind that there was not only the equivalent of crin;e, but also the equivalent of punishment. Lombroso upheld his theory by exemplifying tho acts of children who have no control over their passions, and who, if they were strong enough, would commit acts of criminal significance. But in his first works, Lombroso did not classify criminals, and it was pointed out to him that he had treated of a nnmber of classes, varying one from the other. Ho therefore proceeded to classify them. Tho three chief classes, leaving out the numerous minor classes, according to him are, firstly, criminals of unsound mind; secondly, instinctivo criminals; and, thirdly, occasional criminals. Lombroso further asserted that* the criminal ira'a a distinct type, and showed a greater number of anomalies than the average individual. On the other hand, his critics objected that . these anomalies were present in the average individual iilso. . But . Lombroso maintained that in criminals these anomalies were more numerous and more pronounced Another characteristic of the criminal was his lack of remorse. Novels, continued Mr. Kayll, frequently speak of the criminal's remorse when in prison, but it was more or less untrue; criminals rarely showed any remorse. ' It was a noted fact that many crimes , were committed from a purely sensational motive, for instance when a caso of vitriol-throw-ing was exploited in the' newspapers it generally occurred that there followed an epidemic of the same crime. When public executions were permitted in France, it was discovered that tho majority of murders were committed on tho same day. The sight' of the execution seemed to fire the weak brain of tho criminal in such a way as to drive him to murder and other crimes. Criminals being of such a distinct typo, as pointed out by Lombroso, readily organiso; and in all countries it' was i'onnd that they. formed very close connections with each other. Tliis was so even in New Zealand, although tho conditions of the place made it hard for criminals to organise effectively. In fact, said Mr. Kayll, the criminal regarded this country as a prison in itself. In concluding, Mr. Kayll said that undoubtedly had a great bearing in the development of crime, but just how far this wns so was too.lengthy a matter to discuss at the time. It was tho duty of the Eugenics Society to prevent snch hereditary criminals being born, nnd if they were born to find out how best to deal with them.

Professor Kirk and Sir Robert Stoiit proposed a vote of thanks to the lecturer, and the former, on behalf of the society, asked Mr. Kayll if he would at sonie future dato go more deeply into the exact bearing of heredity on criminality.