Social and genetic influences on life and death : a symposium held by the Eugenics Society in September 1966

## Aspects of Social Problems in 1964 and Genetic and Environmental Factors in Human Abiliry in 1965 , have undoubtedly been successful in stimulating the minds of people who are interested in human affairs from many different points ofview. This volume brings to you the texts of the papers read at our Third Symposium, which was held in 1966, Social and Genetic Influences on Life and Death. Surely this is a broad enough title, a subject which could only be dealt with by taking a few examples of the important factors which determine the success or failure of human life from a biological point of view. So once again, we seek to bring to a wide public knowledge which might otherwise be available only in professional journals read by specialists. Once again, we took particular care in the choice of our speakers, and they probably never before have appeared together on the same platform. We are very grateful to them, not only for their spoken word but for letting us have their scripts for publication. As before, we as Officers of the Eugenics Society take formal responsibility for the editing of the Volume; but we are only too willing to acknowledge that the real work has been done by Mrs K. Hodson, the editor of The Eugenics Review. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Occurrence and Effect of Human Chromosome Abnormalities....Pages 3-19 Recent Developments in Medical Genetics....Pages 20-28 Family Growth and its Effect on the Relationship Between Obstetric Factors and Child Functioning....Pages 29-42 Social and Biological Influences on Foetal and Infant Deaths....Pages 43-56 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Recent Trends in Mortality....Pages 59-65 ‘Coronary Thrombosis’ Progress and Prospects....Pages 66-77 Environmental and Constitutional Factors in the Aetiology of Lung Cancer....Pages 78-92 Front Matter....Pages 93-93 Introduction....Pages 95-96 Some Observations on the Prevalence of Mental Illness in Contrasting Communities....Pages 97-111 Social Influences on the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorder....Pages 112-121 Genetic and Social Influences in the Causation of Suicide....Pages 122-129 Alcoholism....Pages 130-140 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 Introduction....Pages 143-144 Some Economic and Social Consequences....Pages 145-162 Psychiatric Aspects of Old Age....Pages 163-182 Ageing and Mortality....Pages 183-193 Genetic Studies on Longevity....Pages 194-214 Back Matter....Pages 215-222