Eugenics and euphenics

The symptomatic treatment of genetic diseases of man is called euphenics . The euphenics deals with the control of several inherited human diseases, especially inborn errors of metabolism in which the missing or defective enzyme has been identified. One example of this is the condition known as phenylketonuria or pku, determined by an autosomal recessive gene. Babies with this defect are unable to properly metabolize an amino acid, phenylalanine, the resulting chemical imbalance causes severe mental retardation. Now it is possible to distinguish pku homozygotes from normal individuals by testing the urine of all newborn babies with ferric chloride. In affected children, the metabolic imbalance caused by the mutation will turn the urine green. Once such a child is detected, a diet free of phenylalanine is imposed and the child can develop normally. Although a number of inherited diseases can be treated in a similar euphenic manner, but these constitute only asmall fraction of known inherited disease. For the most part, biochemical geneticists could not identify the biochemical errors of many genetic diseases. In other cases, such as albinism, even though the metabolic block leading to an abnormality is known, but, it is not possible to correct it.

The  following euphenic measures can get rid of man from certain fatal genetic diseases :

1. Intake of missing enzyme. One possible euphonic measure for the future would be to supply the known missing enzyme to individuals that would allow their cells to complete the required biochemical reaction. Some attempts to do this have been made without much success. Immunological difficulties are encountered,

since the enzymes being supplied are antigenic and the body produces antibodies against them.

2. Cure for inherited anemia. Scientists studying the two anemias of man, Cooley’s and Lepore anemia, resulting from abnormally low haemoglobin production in individuals homozygous for mutations at the beta-chain locus, hope that they may someday discover the factors regulating the beta gene activity and thereby increase the amount of beta chain synthesis. Furthermore, if the mechanism regulating haemoglobin synthesis in the foetus and the adult can be discerned, they might be able to cure lethal conditions, such as thalassemia major and sickle cell anemia, by suppressing synthesis of the abnormal beta chains and allowing foetal or gamma chains to be produced instead. In fact, individuals have been discovered whose â chain locus for some unknown reason never becomes active. Such individuals function normally with fetal haemoglobin even as adults.

3. Increasing role of genetics to medicine. The increasing number of human diseases that are being discovered to have a genetic basis lend great importance to the development of such euphonic measures. Three per cent of all humans have hereditary diseases which are transmitted in a Mendelian fashion. Two diseases which account for the deaths of hundreds of thousands a year, cancer and heart disease, are thought to have some heritable component

Euthenics The improvement of already existing human beings can be achieved by improving the environmental conditions, e.g., by subjecting them to better nutrition, better unpolluted ecological conditions, better education and sufficient amount of medical facilities. This type of method of improving the human race is known as euthenics.Eugenics believes in artificial seleciton of physically andmentally sound individuals and discouragement of defective individuals for the inheritance of their defective germplasm to the future generations. In other words, eugenics seeks the measures to preserve the best type of germplasm and to eliminate defective germplasm from the human society by applying the laws of inheritance to man.

HISTORY

The primary aim of many of the ancient systems of eugenics was to produce a race of physically perfect human beings.The Greeks had definite ideas regarding eugenics. In Sparta a physically perfect manhood was the chief aim, where as the Atheniens carried more for the intellectual achievements. Following the doctrine of Greeks and until the 19th century there was little interest in the eugenics. Of the particular importance was the eugenics movement in England in the last part of the nineteenth century. The movement, spearheaded by persons of outstanding intellect such as Francis Galton and Karl Pearson, had its objective in the application of biologically sound principles to human populations. Since the biological basis of heredity was unknown, the first objective was to establish the nature of heredity.Galton and Pearson choose to work with human beings and with what they considered important human traits such as intelligence, stature and special abilities. We now know that these characters are very complextraits and are under the control of many genes interacting with environmental variations. So, quite naturally the early investigators made little progress. However, Francis Galton should be credited with being the real founder of the modern movements of eugenics. He defined the eugenics as the study of all the agencies under social control which may improve or impair the inborn qualities of future generatins of man either physically or mentally. Darwin also attached great importance to the eugenics and he compared it to a signpostwith three directions. One of these indicates the influence of heredity on the fate of nations. Another point to the rules that an individual should strive to carry out in regard to parenthood based on the law of human heredity. The third arm indicates the regulations to be adopted by the society to encourage racial progress.

NEED FOR EUGENICS

The development of all organisms including the human individuals depends on both heredity and environmental factors. For the best development both good heredity and good-environment are essential. Even in the best environment there is little possibility for change of defective hereditary traits. The need of eugenics is apparent from the stand point of education, sociology and civilization. The aim of geneticists should be of increasing the normal and gifted population and at the same time decreasing the abnormal and deficient populations.

EUGENICS AND HUMAN BETTERMENT

Both hereditary and environmental factors play a significant role in the development of the organisms. For better type of development both good heredity and suitable environment are necessary. When we consider the future welfare of the human race then the following two factors alarm us greatly:

(i) the declining birth rate among the normal and superior people (those having best germplasm)

 (ii)a relative rapid increase of the abnormal and defective individuals (those having defective germplasm).

For the betterment of future generation, it is necessary to increase the populaiton of outstanding people

and to decrease the population of abnormal and defective people by applying the principle of eugenics.

The eugenics can be applicable by adopting following two methods :

(A) By encouraging the marriages between desirable persons (constructive method or positiveeugenics).

(B) By discouraging the marriages between undesirable persons (restrictive method or negativeeugenics).

A. Positive Eugenics

The positive eugenics attempts to increase consistantly better or desirable germplasm and, thus,to preserve best germplasm of the society. The percentage of desirable traits can be increased byadopting following measures :

1. Early marriage of those having desirable traits. It is most commonly observed fact that thehighly placed persons of the society often have great ambitions for the future life. In achieving theirambitious goals, they often devote the best part of their youth and they are able to marry in their matureage (e.g., 30 to 35 years). The biological and psychological investigation have revealed that the agedpersons often lack in necessary amount of emotional warmth for the sexual activities and moreover,their germplasm also lost its vigour. Therefore, some laws should be formulated to prevent the latemarriages of highly endowed persons by applying high taxation on them and at the same time the youngpersons having best hereditary traits should be encouraged for early marriage.

2. Subsidizing the fit. Because the highly endowed persons lead a well-planned life and to avoid unnecessary difficulties in nursing the children they often prefer to have small number of children. Therefore, the selected young men and women of best eugenic value should be encouraged to increase their birth rate. Moreover, H.J.

Muller has suggested that such persons not only should increase their family size but through artificial insemination the outstanding man can serve as fathers to many more children than would be otherwise possible.

The artificial insemination is already widely practiced to permit those women whose husbands are sterile or have some serious hereditary afflictions to bear children. The sperms and eggs of outstanding persons can

be stored for future use by quick freezing and storing them in deep freeze. These germ cells, thus, can be stored for 100 or more years.

Very recently the scientists felt the urgent need of establishment of sperm and egg banks toprotect these precious germ cells from the radiation. The germ cells could be collected during earlyadulthood and stored in lead lined containers in the deep freeze. In this state the germ cells would notbe subjected to radiaiton expossure which might affect the donors.

3. Education. For the eugenically oriented reforms in the society, the people should be educatedabout the basic principles of human biology, human genetics, eugenics and sex. The children shouldbe instructed about basic laws of health and they should be encouraged to develop a physically and mentally healthy body. Moreover, the sex should be free from the wide spread confusion, narrowmindedconcepts and religious and ethical bindings because that is a natural biological instinct. Thechildren ignorant about the facts of sex may do more harm to society then otherwise.

4. By avoiding germinal waste. The wastage of best type of germplasm can be avoided byadopting following measures :

(i) The selection of marriage partners should be made with intelligence.

(ii) The social hinderance which do not allow the teachers, nuns and priests to get married, must be removed. By adopting such measures the wastage of best type of germplasm due to lack of opportunities can be prevented.

(iii) The wars must be avoided because in wars the best germplasm of the society is wasted.

5. Genetic counselling. Genetic counselling can do great benefit to human society. The role of the genetic counsellor is to inform concerned individuals of the nature of the mutant condition that concern them. If it is

inherited in a Mendelian fashion, then probability of producing affected offspring can be calculated.The final decision for taking a risk, is entirely the responsibility of the individual involved, it cannotbe made by the counsellor.

6. Improvement of environmental conditions. Both heredity and environment have interrelatedrole in the development of eugenically better persons. Therefore, every person should get betterfood, living conditions, education and medical guidance, etc., so his or her hereditary traits can do theirbest development.

7. Promotion of genetic research. Our knowledge about the genetics is not sufficinet enoughbecause we still have little informations about various human diseases and metabolic disorders whichare generally related with the genes. Therefore, the research in the field of cytogenetics should beincreased so that we can learn more and more about the man.

B. Negative Eugenics

The negative eugenics attempts to eliminate the defective germplasm of the society by adoptingfollowing measures :

1. Sexual separation of the defective. The defective persons may have various sex-linkeddiseases such as night blindness, haemophilia, colour blindness, etc., and various other defective traitswhich may be regulated by dominant or recessive genes. The increase of germplasm of the personshaving such defective traits in the populaiton can be checked by keeping them away and separated fromthe society. Different states have wisely adopted the restricted measures in segregation the mentaldefectives from the society and to place them in mental hospitals.

2. Sterilization. The sterilization is the best means to deprive an individual from his power ofreproduction without interfering with any of his normal funcitons. The sterilization method is based onsurgical operation of sperm duct or vas deferens in males and oviducts or fallopian tubes in females.The former is known as vasectomy and the later is splengectomy. The family planning movement inIndia has adopted the sterilization as the tool for controlling the rate of vastly increasing population and in that case the sterilization is euthenical in its application than the eugenical.

3. Control of immigration. Through immigration there are enough chances that undesirable ordefective genes of different races and nationalities may intermingle with the normal germplasm of thepopulation. Therefore, the immigration rules must be strict and the persons with undesirable hereditarytraits must not be allowed to migrate from one placeto another.

4. Regulation of marriage. Presently most human societies are money-minded and for the marriagerelationship the wealthy or highly placed persons which, however, may contain several defectivegenetical traits, are more preferred than those which have eugenically sound hereditary traits but havingno money and which fail to reach to highest status of the society due to lack of opportunities. Some rulemust be enacted to encourage the marriages among desirable mates. Recently human geneticists have devised following two eugenically sound methods (i.e., euphenics and genetic engineering) for the improvement of human race.