Hereditary Pauperism as Illustrated in the "Juke" Family (From White Trash: The Eugenic Family Studies 1877-1919, P 33-47, 1988, Nicole Hahn Rafter, ed. -- See NCJ-121120)

• NCJ Number: 121121
• Author(s): R L Dugdale
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Northeastern University Press
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In 1874, a research study was begun to determine if pauperism was hereditary.

Abstract

Descendants of Ada Juke and his wife manifested numerous defects, including pauperism, and were considered an example of hereditary pauperism produced by the syphilis that the oldest son had acquired before marriage. The family was also characterized by interfamily and interracial marriages, and it was concluded that this also contributed to pauperism. Another family member was characterized by environmentally-induced pauperism, given the absence of inherited disease. In reviewing the lineage of the oldest son who had syphilis, continuity was found in the behavior of his offspring; all his daughters except two were prostitutes. The uncommon licentiousness of the Juke family stock in general excluded them from social recognition and further, geographic, industrial, and social factors seemed to favor the hereditary transmission of weakness and pauperism.