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A book in the ecology of child development, The Degeneracy Crisis and Victorian Youth studies stress in the lives of children in the Victorian age (1837 - 1901). The term "degeneracy" is pursued in the context of biosocial problems, especially those involving the young.
The book begins by presenting an overview of the nineteenth century, noting the changes in population, urbanization, the reform movement, and the rise of Darwinism. It next examines the social and health contexts in which human development took place, considering genetics, nutrition, health, mortality, and climate. Jordan then addresses empirically the nature of growth in Victorian children and young adults, presenting height and health data and using them as the dependent measure for descriptive and multivariate analysis of the Victorian economy. The concept of degeneracy, the evolution of social policy, and the efforts of specific reformers are discussed with attention to the role of government policy toward the end of the period.
"Jordan reminds us that history, policy, and economics are great shaping forces in terms of setting ceilings on what children can be. There is much here that is important to scholars in child growth and development. But most important is that we are reminded of the plight of poor children today as well as yesterday." — Margaret Yonemura, State University of New York, Binghamton
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Preface
Acknowlegments
1. The Degeneracy Question
Circumstances of Life
The Degeneracy Problem
Degeneracy as Theory
Fiction and Fact
The Problem
2. Towns, Housing, and Work
Health in Towns
Towns
Metropolitan Model Housing
Rural Housing
Scotland and Ireland
Ecology and Housing
Urbanization of Leeds
Work
3. Circumstances of Life
Genetics and Evolution
Nutrition
Disease
Mortality
Teeth
Poverty
Climate
Population Growth
Population, Climate, Mortality, and Height
Victorian Index of Children and Youth
4. Height and Body Mass of Children
Concepts
Heights 1805-1914
Appraising Social Level
Data
Selected Studies
Heights of Victorians
Heights and the Degeneracy Question
Estimating Rate of Change
Estimating Quetelet's Body Mass Index
Discussion
5. Mars and Hygeia
The Army as a Social System
Problems of Data
Recruits
Rejection Rates
The Boer War
Commentary
6. Social-Economic Circumstances and Height
The Industrial Revolution
Social Indicators
Nutrition
Economic Variables and Height
A Destructive Consideration of Heights
A Multivariate Analysis
7. Public Policy and Reform
Ideology
Shapers of Public Policy
Documents and Inquiries
Resistance
Private Philanthropy
Government in Action
Eras of Progressivism
8. Discussion
Data and Ideology
The Degeneracy Question
Stress
Appendices
Bibliography
Indexes