THE UNFIT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2534, 25 January 1923, Page 2

THE UNFIT.

A DOCTOR’S RECOMMENDA- . TION. Christchurch, Last Night. At a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board, considerable discussion was caused by a clause in the Hospital Committee’s report regarding epileptics. Clauses recommended that the Board should refer the matter to other Hospital Boards, asking for their support, and also for an expression of opinion regarding it. In a memorandum the Chairman, Dr. Fenwick, said it appeared to him that there were three courses which might be adopted with great benefit to succeeding generations: —

(1) Before marriage both contracting' parties should be obliged to produce evidence of health; also the parents of the contracting parties should provide a certificate that there is no family tendency to epilepsy or insanity. He believed that many unhappy marriages would be avoided if the law refused to legalist any marriage without the production of a health eei’tifieate, and certainly there would be fewer unfortunate children condemned to ill-health from their earliest years.

(2) Persons who have been committed to a 'mental hospital and are about to be discharged on probation ut who have recovered, should not be allowed to return to family life without the sanction of a committee of experts. This committee should have power to recommend slerilisaton before the patient is released.

(3) Any person convicted of an assault upon a child should bo sent to a hospital for an operation. The class of persons who are most prone to this crime are often of degenerate mentality. He ventured to believe that an operation on these cases would not only prevent a second conviction, but would act as a most successful deterrent, to others. It was agreed to refer the matter back to the hospital committee, with power to call further evidence.