5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  Lucien Howe, a prominent ophthalmologist, promoted eugenics in the early 20th century, influenced by his personal circumstances.

• 2

  In 1887, Howe published a case series on hereditary glaucoma, which was feared due to its association with blindness.

• 3

  Howe married his first cousin in 1893, raising concerns about the heritable nature of glaucoma in their potential children.

• 4

  In 1918, Howe advocated for sterilization and other measures to prevent the birth of children with hereditary blindness.

• 5

  By 1923, Howe suggested state-imposed sterilization or imprisonment for couples deemed to risk hereditary blindness.