Although a treasure trove of valuable information, readers should be made aware of the book’s actual content before deciding to read it. Oddly, and despite its catchy title, the book discusses neither genetics nor heredity, at least not in any biological sense. Rather, this is a retrospective account of how epidemiologists, physicians and statisticians started to approach the concept that negative traits could theoretically be passed down generationally in human populations. This work blossoms in the early 19th century, and is fueled by the introduction of Darwinian evolution and Mendelian genetics, to birth the field of eugenics. Fascinating in its own right, the narrative will solely focus on the people that pioneered the field, their strategies to collect data and their struggles to reach valuable hereditary conclusions. Different perspectives from relevant countries (primarily Germany, France and the United States), are offered, and original data tables are shown as needed, although translations are not offered, so a working knowledge of French and German will help. Overall, despite the book’s historical merits, and the rigorous attention to detail, its densely academic style make will make it tedious to read for some. Moreover, since actual scientific concepts are absent, those seeking to learn about human genetics and heredity will be sadly disappointed.
Rafael Romero, PhD