[455] The recognition of epilepsy as a bar to procreation is not recent.  There is said to be a record in the archives of the town of Lucon in which epilepsy was adjudged to be a valid reason for the cancellation of a betrothal (British Medical Journal, Feb. 14, 1903, p. 383).

[456] British Medical Journal, April 14, 1906.  In California and some other States, it appears that deceit regarding health is a ground for the annulment of marriage.

[457] Sir F. Galton, Inquiries Into Human Faculty, Everyman’s Library edition, pp. 211 et seq.; cf.  Galton’s collected Essays in Eugenics, recently published by the Eugenics Education Society.

[458] For some account of the methods and results of the work in schools, see Bertram C.A.  Windle, “Anthropometric Work in Schools,” Medical Magazine, Feb., 1894.

[459] The most notable steps in this direction have been taken in Germany.  For an account of the experiment at Karlsruhe, see Die Neue Generation, Dec., 1908.

[460] Wiethknudsen (as quoted in Sexual-Probleme, Dec., 1908, p. 837) speaks strongly, but not too strongly, concerning the folly of any indiscriminate endowment of procreation.

[461] On the scientific side, in addition to the fruitful methods of statistical biometrics, which have already been mentioned, much promise attaches to work along the lines initiated by Mendel; see W. Bateson, Mendel’s Principles of Heredity, 1909; also, W.H.  Lock, Recent Progress in the Study of Variation, Heredity, and Evolution, and R.C.  Punnett, Mendelism, 1907 (American edition, with interesting preface by Gaylord Wilshire, from the Socialistic point of view, 1909).

[462] The study of the right conditions for procreation is very ancient.  In modern times we find that even the very first French medical book in the vulgar tongue, the Regime du Corps, written by Alebrand of Florence (who was physician to the King of France), in 1256, is largely devoted to this matter, concerning which it gives much sound advice.  See J.B.  Soalhat, Les Idees de Maistre Alebrand de Florence sur la Puericulture, These de Paris, 1908.

[463] Hesiod, Works and Days, II, 690-700.

[464] This has long been the accepted opinion of medical authorities, as may be judged by the statements brought together two centuries ago by Schurig, Parthenologia, pp. 22-25.

[465] The statement that, on the average, the best age for procreation in men is before, rather than after, forty, by no means assumes the existence of any “critical” age in men analogous to the menopause in women.  This is sometimes asserted, but there is no agreement in regard to it.  Restif de la Bretonne (Monsieur Nicolas, vol. x, p. 176) said that at the age of forty delicacy of sentiment begins to go.  Fuerbringer believes (Senator and Kaminer, Health and Disease in Relation to Marriage,