The Jukes : a study in crime, pauperism, disease, and heredity / by Robert L. Dugdale ; with a foreword by Elisha Harris ; and an introduction by Franklin H. Giddings.

Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Jukes : a study in crime, pauperism, disease, and heredity / by Robert L. Dugdale ; with a foreword by Elisha Harris ; and an introduction by Franklin H. Giddings. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    ; INTRODUCTION “The Jukes” has long been known as one of those important books that exert an influence out of all pro- portion to their bulk. It is doubtful if any concrete study of moral forces is more widely known, or has pro- voked more discussion, or has incited a larger number of students to examine for themselves the immensely difficult problems presented by the interaction of “hered- ity” with “environment.” Its achievement, moreover, is attributable to the qualities of the work itself, as much as to the unusual nature of its subject matter. It is not too much to say that when the first edition of “The Jukes” was pub- lished, it was the best example of scientific method ap- plied to a sociological investigation. Mr. Dugdale was no closet philosopher. Neither did he depend upon data gathered for him by other men. He went himself into the field, asked his own questions, and got concrete im- pressions at first hand. Then, analyzing his materials and drawing inductions, he kept strictly within his data. He had no hypothesis to verify, no theoretical antagonist to throw down. His mind was intent on discovering the truth, whatever it might turn out to be, and presenting it completely, clearly, and simply. His readers have not always been so ingenuous, cer- tainly not always so cautious. An impression quite generally prevails that “The Jukes” is a thorough-going