FAMILY PLANNING: AN ASSESSMENT GALTON LECTURE FEBRUARY 27, 1963 BY MARGARET PYKE from The Eugenics Review, July 1963, Volume 55, No.2 Price Is. THE FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION 231 TOTIENHAM COURT ROAD, LONDON, W.1 Telephone: MUSeum 9135-9 President The Lord Brain, D.M., F.R.C.P. Chairman Mrs. M. A. Pyke, O.B.E. Vice-Presidents G. F. Abercrombie, Esq., V.R.D., The Countess of Limerick, G.B.E. M.D. The Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. The The Lord Adrian, O.M., F.R.S., Lord Bishop of London, C.B.E., F.R.C.P. D.D. The Lord Amulree, M.D., F.R.C.P. Professor James M. Mackintosh, Sir Arthur Bell, F.R.C.S., P.R.C.O.G. M.D., LL.D., F.R.C.P. The Rt. Rev. The Lord Bishop of The Lord McCorquodale of Birmingham, C.M.G., D.D. Newton, P.c., M.A. Lord Boothby, K.B.E., LL.D. The Lord Merthyr, T.D. Aleck W. Bourne, Esq., F.R.C.S., The Viscountess Monckton of F.R.C.O.G. Brenchley, C.B.E. Geoffrey Bourne, Esq., M.D., Claud Mullins, Esq. F.R.C.P. Professor W. C. W. Nixon, M.D., The Lady Brabourne F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders, Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit K.B.E., F.B.A., LL.D. Professor A. S. Parkes, C.B.E., F.R.S. The Lord Casey, P.C., C.H., D.S.O., Sir John Peel, K.C.V.O., F.R.C.S., M.C. F.R.C.O.G. The Lord Chorley, Q.C., J.P., M.A. Professor Sir Robert Platt, BT., Professor Sir Andrew M. Claye, M.D., F.R.C.P. M.D., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. Sir Arthur Porritt, BT., K.C.M.G., The Lord Cohen of Birkenhead, K.C.V.O., C.B.E., LL.D., P.R.C.S. M.D., F.R.C.P., D.SC., LL.D., F.S.A., F. M. Rose, Esq., M.B., CH.B.ED. B.SC., F.R.C.S., J.P. Dame Hilda Rose, The Rt. Hon. The Earl of F.R.C.O.G. Cranbrook, C.B.E., D.L., J.P. Sir James Paterson Ross, BT., Professor Sir Arthur Ellis, O.B.E., K.C.V.O., M.S., F.R.C.S. D.M., LL.D., F.R.C.P. Mrs. Margaret Sanger, (U.S.A.) Professor D. V. Glass, B.SC.(ECON.), Linton M. Snaith, Esq., M.D., PH.D. F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. Sir Eardley Holland, M.D., LL.D., John A. Stallworthy, Esq., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.P., F.R.C.O.G. F.R.C.O.G. Sir Julian Huxley, D.SC., F.R.S. Mrs. Mary Stocks, B.SC.(ECON.) Professor T. N. A. Jeffcoate, M.D., The Duke of Wellington, K.G. F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. Professor Sir Solly Zuckerman, Major-General Sir Alfred Knox, C.B., M.D., D.SC., F.R.S. K.C.B., C.M.G. 1 Medical Advisory Council Thomas Malthus has been described as the unwitting founder Chairman: The Lord Brain, D.M., F.R.C.P. of the birth control movement in Britain. I think he would have Prof. Sir Dugald Baird, M.D., F.R.C.O.G., B.SC., D.P.H. regarded this as a disgrace rather than a distinction. Although the Peter Bishop, Esq., D.M., F.R.C.P. thesis of his Essay published in 1796 was that population increases Prof. Sir Andrew M. Claye, M.D., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. faster than food production the only remedies he proposed were Mrs. Sylvia Dawkins, M.B., B.S. either complete celibacy or late marriage. These are indeed Donald Fraser, Esq., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. methods of controlling births and are probably responsible for the Dr. Annis Gillie, O.B.E., M.B., M.R.C.P. present low birthrate in Ireland, but they are certainly not included Prof. Douglas Hubble, M.D., F.R.C.P. in what we call birth control methods to-day. Ian M. Jackson, Esq., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. Prof. Sir Aubrey Lewis, M.D., F.R.C.P. Actually, Jeremy Bentham in 1797 advocated a sponge method Prof. Norman Morris, M.D., F.R.C.O.G. of birth control in order to reduce the poor rate. But the man who Prof. W. C. W. Nixon, M.D., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. did really start the fire was Francis Place, a self taught workman Sir John Peel, K.C.V.O., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. who became a friend of Thomas Wakley, a medical reformer who J. A. Fraser Roberts, Esq., M.D., D.SC., F.R.C.P. founded and for many years edited the LANCET. In 1822, Place Sir James Paterson Ross, BT., K.C.V.O., M.S., F.R.C.S. wrote and distributed handbills which gave definite contraceptive John A. Stallworthy, Esq., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G. information. These had considerable circulation in London and John D. Sutherland, Esq., PH.D., M.B., CH.B., D.P.M. in the industrial districts of the North and owing to the discussion G. 1. M. Swyer, Esq., D.M., D.PHIL., M.R.C.P. they aroused, they were reprinted in several radical journals. Place naturally encountered considerable hostility and was described as Han. Treasurer the "master spring that moves the whole infernal machine". The Hon. Lady Burrell, O.B.E. Public interest seems to have waned in this subject in the 1830's. Perhaps the passage of the Reform Bill and the new Poor Law Bill Han. Secretary absorbed the energies of the radicals. The social ferment inspired Mrs. N. Raphael by the French Revolution and economic difficulties following the Napoleonic wars died down, clamour for social reform waned Han. Editors "Family Planning" and interest in birth control declined. But there were isolated Mrs. P. Medawar, M.A., B.SC. incidents. In 1868 Lord John Russell's son, Lord Amberley, was David Pyke, Esq., M.D., M.R.C.P. greatly criticised for taking part in a meeting on "over-population and public health" and in 1854 Dr. George Drysdale wrote "The General Secretary Elements of Science" in which he spoke of sex education, was Brigadier R. C. Elstone, C.B.E., M.C. critical of the institution of marriage and warmly advocated the principles of Malthusianism. The book went into 35 editions (up Medical Director of F.P.A. Laboratories to 1904) and was translated into ten European languages. H. A. Davidson, Esq., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. Medical Secretary Bradlaugh, Besant and the Malthusian League Mrs. Eleanor Mears, M.B., CH.B. The event that really launched the ships, was the Bradlaugh- Deputy General Secretary Besant trial of 1877-8. Charles Bradlaugh and Mrs. Besant re- printed Dr. Charles Knowlton's pamphlet on birth control called Mrs. M. Howard "The Fruits of Philosophy" and took a copy to the Guildhall with Assistant Secretaries a notice to say when and where they would be selling it next day. They also informed the police and in due course they were arrested Branch Organization: Mrs. F. Parker and brought before the Lord Chief Justice on an indictment which Finance: Mrs. H. Nelson-Barrett accused them "of unlawfully and wickedly devising, contriving and Laboratories: Mrs. D. Simpson intending, as much as in them lay, to vitiate and corrupt the morals Medical: Mrs. J. Rees, M.B., B.S. as well as youth as of divers other subjects of the Queen and to 2 3 invite and encourage the said subjects to indecent, obscene, un- of prevention would be the best in her particular case". One would natural and immoral practices, and bring them to a state of wicked- have thought that Dr. Allbutt had been sufficiently discreet-at ness, lewdness and debauchery". Both defendants were found least as far as his own profession was concerned-but not so. The guilty but on appeal the verdict was set aside because of a fault Secretary of the Leeds Vigilance Association protested to medical in the indictment. It was after this trial and the publicity which societies; Edinburgh passed the buck to the General Medical followed and propaganda by the Malthusian League which was set Council who found him guilty of "having published and publicly up in 1878 that the birth rate in Great Britain, then standing at caused to be sold a work entitled the WIFE'S HANDBOOK at 35 per thousand, began to fall and it went on falling until it so low a price as to bring the work within the reach of the youth reached its lowest peace time level of 14.9 in 1933. To-day it is of both sexes to the detriment of public morals". The Council 17.1 and has risen every year over the last 7 years. found that secondly the offence was infamous conduct in a profes- sional respect. Whether this was because Dr. Allbutt had given In a Report on the Declining Birth Rate written in 1914, Ethel in his book the name of Rendells and also of the retailer of a Elderton, Galton Fellow of the University of London, found that Mensinga pessary or whether because he had written a popular the.