Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/107

 PREVENTION OF ME^'TAL DISEASES 93

only true with those predisposed to insanity, but also with women entirely free from the taint, who from too frequent confinements pay their tribute to insanity.

Certain rather radical spirits wish to legislate on questions of marriage, and to prevent it in the case of those who manifest any hereditary trace. It is certain that with certain persons one could predict the future heredity; but, in considering this vital question, would it be necessary to tarnish the entire family ? The solution of this problem is never possible, since we can never fi.x precisely the heredity of ascendants or the transmission to descendants. With neuropathic parents there may be children who cannot in advance be pronounced tainted, because special precautions have been taken with the physical and psychical education, or there may be among them one or two exceptions where heredity has not been overcome. It should be said decid- edly that it is impossible to prove that the procreation of neuropathic, h^'sterical, and epileptic persons, etc., will be neces- sarily a procreation of beings who will become insane.

Families careful for their children and desirous of preventing all unhappiness in future generations have at their disposition the physician, who, being consulted on the subject, is able to offer good guarantees after a searching examination. The modern conception of individual liberty never will permit the state to interpose, if either of the persons proposing marriage frankly declares before marriage that certain serious defects have existed in the family. If, on the contrary, a secret is guarded before marriage, the situation changes, and in this case the law ought to authorize divorce for the reason of deception in the contract of marriage. Such unions have naturally as a consequence the production of beings more or less incapable of providing for the maintenance of their existence, of beings sick or degenerate, who remain a charge upon their parents or who must be intrusted to public charity. Such marriages must lead to pauperism. It is not admissible that one of the married pair inflict on the other moral suffering and material sacrifices without being able to appeal to legal measures which impose on the affi- anced the duty of making reciprocal declarations, when they know