The Eugenic Marriage, Volume I. (of IV.) A Personal Guide to the New Science of Better Living and Better Babies

The Eugenic Marriage, Volume I by W. Grant Hague delivers a revealing and provocative look at how early twentieth-century medicine sought to shape family life, heredity, and public health through a eugenic lens. Written by a Columbia-educated physician and first published in 1916, this science-era handbook blends practical obstetric and pediatric guidance with period ideas about heredity, marriageability, and “better babies.” Part medical manual, part social guide, the book covers maternal care, childbirth practices, infant feeding and hygiene, prevention of common childhood ailments, and counsel on age and suitability for marriage—all framed by contemporary beliefs about improving the human stock. The text reflects the language and assumptions of its era, making it both a primary historical document and a cautionary case study in how scientific authority can intersect with social policy. Ideal for historians of medicine, students of the history of science, and listeners curious about the roots of public health and eugenic thought, this audiobook offers valuable context for understanding how medical advice and social ideals were intertwined in the early 1900s. Listen to gain insight into a pivotal—and contested—chapter in scientific and cultural history.