A miscarriage of medicine
How flawed evidence led to eugenic sterilization.
A miscarriage of medicine
The Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded became home for Carrie Buck, (left) and her mother, Emma. At the 1924 court trial that tested the state's eugenic sterilization law and resulted in Carrie's sterilization, several witnesses testified that Emma -- who had been committed to the colony in 1920 -- had many children out of wedlock, though that testimony was based mostly on rumor.
Photo from the Arthur Estabrook Papers/rights provided by M.E. Grenander Dept. of Special Collections and Archives, University of Albany Libraries
Published March 30, 2009 - Copyright American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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