ID# 2117:
"Report on the work of the Francis Galton Laboratory for National Eugenics, February1908-June 1909"
Date:
1909
Pages: (1|2|3|4)
Source:
University College London, KP, 235

&quote;Report on the work of the Francis Galton Laboratory for National Eugenics, February1908-June 1909&quote;

58 must largely excuse the delay in the Laboratory publications this year, and any defects in the first issue of the[italics]Treasury[end italics]. We believe that it will serve a real need and ultimately form one of the chief features of the work of the Laboratory, and a standard by which its efficiency will be judged. Of other publications I have already briefly referred to Miss Barrington's joint memoir with myself, entitled:[italics]A First Study of the Inheritance of Vision and of the Relative Influence of Heredity and Environment on Sight.[end italics] This contains the results of fully a year's tabling and calculation. So far as I am aware it is the first attempt to compare the relative intensities of nurture and nature, environment and inheritance. We have to thank Mr. E. Nettleship for much friendly criticism and advice. Miss Barrington has also completed the reduction of a series of measurements of the brain-weight of the sane and insane. Her time in future will probably be largely taken up by work on the[italics]Treasury[end italics]. Mr Heron has completed and reduced the whole of the data on the school-children of London which were placed in our hands by the County Council Education Committee. He is now writing his memoir on the [italics]Influence of Unfavourable Home Environment and Defective Physique on the Intelligence of School Children[end italics]. This important paper should be ready before the summer; it has been delayed by Mr Heron's work for the course of lectures on Eugenics, the main burden for the organisation and illustration of which fell on his shoulders. Miss Elderton has completed several pieces of work. A fairly exhaustive treatment of assortative mating in man,[italics] i.e.[end italics], the tendency of men and women of like characteristics to intermarry appeared as an appendix to a memoir by the late Mr E.C. Pope, [italics]A Second Study of the Statistics of Pulmonary Tuberculosis[end italics]-[italics]Marital Infection[end italics], edited by me and issued in the Drapers' Company Memoirs. She is also chiefly responsible for the study of the influence of environment in Miss Barrington's memoir on Eyesight, and is at present engaged in dealing with further phases of home environment on the welfare of the child. She has given me in the course of the year two completed memoirs: (i)[italics] A Measure of the Resemblance between Uncle or Aunt or Nephew or Niece[end italics], which practically completes the study of the influence of collaterals started by her in her memoir of Cousins, and (ii)[italics]The Influence of Parental Occupation and Habits on the Physique of the Offspring[end italics]. This paper is based on the 20,000 Glasgow school-children provided by the Scottish Education Office, and will be issued in the course of the next few months. I have myself in hand, two papers practically on Eugenic topics: (i)[italics] The Health of the School-child in relation to its Mental Characters[end italics], and (ii) a joint Memoir with Mr. E. Nettleship and Mr C.H. Usher on [italics]Albinism in Man[end italics] for which nearly 600 pedigrees and upwards of 100 photographs have already been engraved. These memoirs will appear in the Drapers' Company Series, but they may be mentioned here, as it is very difficult to differentiate work done in the Eugenics and Biometric Laboratories, and the distinction is really not so much in the matter, as in the fund to which the cost of the research and publication is credited. In conclusion, I would wish to say that personally I consider that the staff has worked with much energy and loyalty, and this under the circumstance that they have met, and are likely to meet, with much external and uninformed hostile criticism of their methods and publications. It must always be so when exact statistical methods are brought into touch with looser current processes of reasoning. I think the Committee should consider the future arrangements of the Laboratory. Should Mr. Galton continue, as I hope, to support it, I think the general question of research fellows and scholars as against more permanent members of the staff, should be discussed. All the present appointments terminate in February, 1910. I think, although we cannot pledge ourselves for the future, that it would be desirable to re-appoint the present members of the staff for a further year from that date. There is much to be said in favour of temporary appointments of the scholarship nature, but the amount of training required for special work of this kind is so large, that I must confess I looked this year on the possible loss of a member of the staff as little short of a catastrophe. I think this point deserves very special consideration, and we ought to have some discussion of the matter. The fact that Mr Heron and Miss Elderton are lecturing and have assisted in demonstrating to students coming to us for short courses seems to me to indicate some balance of advantage in the permanent as against the scholarship form of appointment, which means a rapid flow of individuals not trained to the routine work of the Laboratory or to teaching functions. June, 1909. Karl Pearson. (2) A letter, dated June 17th, 1909, from Sir Francis Galton, stating that he was prepared to forward to the University [British pound symbol]500 for the maintenance of the Francis Galton Laboratory for the study of National Eugenics during the year 1910-11, provided that satisfactory action were taken upon the Report of Professor Karl Pearson. Recommended:-- That, subject to the receipt of a donation of [British pound symbol]500 from Sir Francis Galton for the maintenance of the Laboratory, the Scheme for the Francis Galton Laboratory for the Study of National Eugenics set forth in Senate Minutes 921-25 of January 23rd, 1907, be continued as from February 1st, 1910 for a further period of one year; and (a) that Mr. David Heron, M.A., be re-appointed Galton Research Fellow for a further period of one year as from February 1st, 1910, in accordance with the Scheme; (b) that Miss E.M. Elderton be re-appointed Galton Research Scholar for a further period of one year as from February, 1910, in accordance with the Scheme; (c) that Miss Amy Barrington be re-appointed Computer in the Francis Galton Laboratory for a further period of one year as from February 1st, 1910, and that her remuneration be at the rate of [British pound symbol]80 per annum for such time not exceeding four days per week as may be decided by Professor Karl Pearson; (d) that Miss K.V. Ryley be appointed Assistant in the Francis Galton Laboratory as from October 1st, 1909, and that her remuneration be at the rate of [British pound symbol]45 per annum payable monthly for four days per week or equivalent time, as may be decided by Professor Karl Pearson. M.J.M. Hill, Vice-Chancellor, in the Chair. (2) A Statement by the Academic Registrar to the effect that he had received from Sir Francis Galton on June 28th, 1909, a cheque for [British pound symbol]500 for the maintenance of the Francis Galton Laboratory for the Study of National Eugenics during the year 1910-11. [end]

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