Public Health Then and Now, Article Review Example

Main Argument

“Racism and other social prejudices became part of both eugenics and public health in the past, not just because these values were prevalent among health professionals, but because health professionals convinced themselves that their sciences were purely objective.”

This quote reflects the main point of this article because it focuses on the balance between science and social understanding that contributes to eugenics. The usefulness of eugenics boils down to how it is used. Many individuals feel that it is useful as a diagnostic tool that can help inform individuals of the disease genetics they carry, which can help them make informed decisions when they decide to have children. Others argue that this knowledge is discriminatory and pregnancies should not be terminated on this basis. Still others argue that we should not bring diseased individuals into the world because it is a preventable burden. This quote summarizes this conflict succinctly and shows how people react towards public health in general. While eugenics is useful, it is difficult to make unbiased opinions about what traits are more desirable than others, which trends towards discrimination.

Interesting Quote

“The 1912 American translation of a book by Socialist eugenicist and child welfare pioneer Sigmund Engel attacked the “ultra-Darwinian” view that spontaneous infant mortality was beneficial, noting that the leading childhood diseases killed the fit and the unfit alike.”

I find this quote interesting because it is surprising that anyone could find infant mortality to be beneficial. While diseases that are deadly before the reproductive age are somewhat beneficial to population genetics because they will not be transmitted to their offspring, this doesn’t confer a benefit to individuals. Many parents who are aware they are at risk for having a disabled or sick child decide to continue the pregnancy anyway. This does not put the population at risk for disease, because only the child will have it. Furthermore, terminating the pregnancy will not stop children from being born with the disease. If a disease kills both the fit and unfit, it does not follow Darwinian principles and the inheritance of the disease will not be a factor for natural selection.