diseases dealt with here, and these we get; for
alcoholism, criminality, chorea, deformities, insanity and other brain
diseases, are not infrequent among the relatives of a neuropath, showing
that the family germ-plasm is unsound.

Epilepsy, one symptom of taint, is more or less interchangeable with other
defects; the taint, as a whole, is an inheritable unit whose inheritance
will appear as any one of many defects. This is shown by the fact that very
few epileptics have an epileptic parent. Starr's analysis of 700 cases of
epilepsy emphasizes this point.

Epilepsy in a parent 6
Epilepsy in a near relative 136
Alcoholism in a parent 120
Nervous Diseases in family 118
Rheumatism and Tuberculosis 184
Combinations of above diseases 142

As medicine and surgery cannot add or delete plasmic factors, the only way
to stamp out neuropathy in severe forms would be to sterilize victims by
X-rays. This would be painless, would protect the race and not interfere
with personal or even with sexual liberty. In fifty years such diseases
would be almost extinct, and those arising from accident or the chance
union of dormant factors in apparently normal people could easily be dealt
with.

There are 100,000 epileptics in Great Britain, and as _all_ their children
carry a taint which tends to reappear as epilepsy in a later generation
_the number of epileptics doubles every forty years_. We protect these
unfortunates against others; why not posterity against them?

Neuropaths must pass on _some_ defect; therefore, though victims may marry,
_no neuropath has a right to have children_.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XXV

CHARACTER

"All men are not equal, either at birth or by training. Nature gives
each of us the neural clay, with its properties of pliability and of
receiving impressions; nurture moulds and fashions it, until a
_character_ is formed, a mingling of innate disposition and acquired
powers. But clay will be clay to the end; you cannot expect it to be
marble."--Thomson & Geddes.

"Heaven lay not my transgression to my charge."--King John.

It is essential that attendants, relatives, and friends carefully study the
character of neuropaths, and recognize clearly how abnormal it is, for
untold misery is caused by judging neuropaths by normal standards.

Patients are often harshly treated because others regard the vi