Claudius F. Mayer: From Plato to Pope Paul / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 17. (Budapest, 1989)
XI. CONCLUSION FUTURE GENERATIONS, FAITH OF POPE PAUL Turning ihe pages of history and focusing upon population problems and practical ¾ųman genetics we gathered bits of information with little speculation on the breeding practices of the human race from the Stone Age to our times. The quantitative and qualitative population checks of primitive people ripened into permanent devices and institutions which became the tradition of all civilized peoples and which were used by families, tribes, peoples, states throughout the whole course of history. Did these qualitative and quantitative checks themselves, as such, have any substantially favorable effect upon the development of mankind, of society? Or, do they have a share as contributing factors in human evolution? Although we are inclined to answer both questions with yes, it seems that, in his propagation and breeding habits, man is still there where he was, let us say, 500 generations ago. Homo sapiens is more refined, more civilized, more educated than he has been in the past, but his germ plasm remains eternally the same as it was in the Pleistocene excepting some mutations and recombinations. With all our differences and diversities, today we are just as our ancestors were yesterday, forming a line of unity in the same population, in the same human race, at the same organic level, without any superiority, without any substantial improvement, 54 5 inspite of organized gigantic efforts of state planners and governments in the past. Eugenic practices were not able to save society from the unfit, neither do they offer hope for producing future generations of supermen. Indeed, if the present system of social services ("etithenics" ) continues in operation, it must be highly injurious to the race of man, 54 6 resulting in genetic deterioration. Our quantitative population problems, and differential fertility rates, played regional and world-wide see-saw throughout the history. In nearly all ages, populations have seemed to many to be too large for the existing resources, while to others they seemed to be too small for the defense of the country. Neither did science find yet a formula for population optimum. But it appears that no principle emerges which makes it impossible for man to cater for his growning numbers. With the faith of Pope PAUL VI, we should rather "multiply the bread that is to be shared " than to diminish the number of guests. 54 7 SUMMARY Natural selection, negative and positive eugenic measures, active since the dawn of civilization, helped to weed out the worst and to preserve the fittest in the human race. Man pursued his instinct of propagation ("Crescite et multiplicaminC ...), and encountered many difficulties and problems in replenishing the Earth. For population check, past centuries applied various means that are still favored today. Since the Laws of Manu, matrimony has been an object of legislation (State, Church); regulation and encouragement of marriage remains a /ital element in 27
