Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

MO THE CHARLOTTE MEDICAL JOURNA].
came to me after the close of my paper and ly go to work the next day. I have only
said, "I don't suppose I ought to speak to sterilized four convicts during the time I've'
you on the subject of your paper, but I am been surgeon to the Virginia Penitentiary!
old enough to speak my mind, and if all The first one has given splendid and conof
'em (meaning habitual criminals ) were vincingly good results from the operation,
treated as you recommend, it would do an He was a negro sent to the Penitentiary for
immense amount of good, and save a lot of murder, with a long sentence. He had
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crime and meanness;" and the old lady was only been at the prison a short time when i
dead right. he was adjudged to be insane, and was sent i
I have been surgeon to the Penilentary to the Asylum at Petersburg. While there ;
for over ten years, a long enough time to he is said to have killed a fellow inmate, f
see father and then sons come to the prison, and seriously injured a nurse; later he was i
and by looking back over the records I returned to the Penitentiary as cured; had i
learned that the grandfather had also been a relapse, and was bandied back and forth |
an inmate. Now this hideous reproduc- between the Asylum and the Prison several i^
tion of criminals, from father to son and times, as he became better or worse. Final- i
to grandson, should be stopped; it is right ly he escaped from the Asylum, and when ij
and proper that it should be, and it will be recaptured was returned to the Penitentiary, j
in time—in a very short time, too, if you Just at that time, the legislature having i
doctors of Virginia will awaken to the im- passed a bill requiring the insane criminals
portance of this proposition as a crime pre- to be kept at the prison, instead of sending I
venenter, and tell your representatives in them to the asylums. ;
the House and Senate that from a medical This poor creature was most dan- i
and surgical standpoint it is a good meas- gerously homicidal, and was the wildest, i
sure. fiercest, most consistent masturbator I have I
A good doctor has enormous weight in evtr seen. I steriized him. That was six i
disscussing such a subject with a thinking years ago. Improvement with him was ;
member of the legislature, and when you reastniably rapid, both physically and men- >
sift the whole matter out the talk of cruel tally, and now he is a sleek, fat, docile, in-
and unusual punishment does not amount telligent fellow—a trusty about the vard— '
to anything. I mention this, because this ^^,^^^ ^^^ sterilization. i
IS the single argument I have heard rged
against the measure, and such an argu-
-
,„, ,
' ^^^ ^^cond case was
, , ,
a debased
,.,,,
httle
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ment can only have force from a sentiment- negro, a degenerate with a vicious record
'
al standpoint. in the reformatory, and a heinous record at
The criminal has by reason of his acts t^e penitentiary, as a masturbator and soforfeited
the rights of citizenship, and as a
^^^.^^ Sterilization about four years ago
further punishment he is sent to the peni- .. ,,. ,,.
tentiarv at hard labor, &c., and as a cured him of his vicious, debasing habits,
still
further punishment, if he is a rapist, mur- and he is now a strapping, healthy looking
i
derer, burglar, or guilty of arson or train- young buck, and when he completes his
wrecking, he should be prevented from resentence
and leaves, he can
producing his species; that especial breed . .
not reproduce
should be stopped.
J^^""] \ .. . u
I am not discussing here in this paper. The third and fourth cases are of too rewhat
criminals should or should not be cent cate since their operatior to report exsterilized.
Of course, a law that provided act results;*both of them were insane, de-
.
for sterilization should be most carefully
bilitated masturbators; they had been under
drawn, and only habitual criminals, third , j * . » f ^u„.
• , J M, r I
A observation and treatment for months
termers, and those guiltv of heinous and j , ^,
revolting crimes, degenerates, and such finally last month I sterilized them. They
like, should come within the pu-^vue of the are greatly improved already, both mentallaw,
ly and physically, and they will be cured
Sterilization is a very slight operation; j^ time.
you simplv resect the vas deferens, and it • ^m.- i ui .i ^ * *u:.
. ,,- J .,, . ' , . This IS probably the first paper on this
-^
is generally done with cocaine anaesthesia.
f i
-' ^^
A small nick is made ihrough the .skin of subject ever read before this Society. I
the scrotum, near the pubes, and after an have wished to make it short and forceful,
assistant has forced the vas, with the accompanying
vessels i» to the line of the
cut, pick up the vas with forceps, resect it,
, fc , .1. 1 J J
tying off each end, then close the wound,
and I hope the statement of facts will carry
conviction to your minds, and make you
, ^ - ^ -i- »• i u»
advocates of a proper sterilization law be-
'^"^"^'^^ one stitch generally suffices, and apply a
" h f
fore our next Legislature,
collodion dressing. Your patient can usual- 932 Park Avenue.
.
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