Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Eugenics, the Supreme Court, and Buck v. Bell

Contents

Introduction ix Prologue: The Expert Witness 1 Problem Families 7 Sex and Surgery 20 The Pedigree Factory 30 Studying Sterilization 42 The Mallory Case 58 Laughlin’s Book 78 A Virginia Sterilization Law 91 Choosing Carrie Buck 103 Carrie Buck versus Dr. Priddy 112 Defenseless 136 On Appeal: Buck v. Bell 149 In the Supreme Court 157 Reactions and Repercussions 174 After the Supreme Court 185 Sterilizing Germans 199 Skinner v. Oklahoma 219 Buck, at Nuremberg and After 236 Rediscovering Buck 250 Epilogue: Reconsidering Buck 267 Acknowledgments 281 c o n t e n t s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 appendix a. The Supreme Court Opinion in Buck v. Bell, by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. 285 appendix b. Virginia Eugenical Sterilization Act, 1924 288 appendix c. Laws and Sterilizations by State 293 Notes 295 A Note on Sources 355 Index 357 ...