Also from the Greek Euthenia, Good state
Introduction to Euthenics
Euthenics is the study of improvement
of human functioning and well-
being by improvement of living
conditions. "Improvement" is conducted
by altering external factors such
as education and the
controllable environments, including the
prevention and removal of contagious
disease and parasites, environmentalism,
education regarding employment, home
economics, sanitation, and housing.
Rose Field notes of the definition in a May
23, 1926 New York Times article, "the
simplest being efficient living". A right to
environment.
The Flynn effect has been often cited as
an example of euthenics. Another
example is the steady increase in body
size in industrialized countries since the
beginning of the 20th century.
Euthenics is not normally interpreted to
have anything to do with changing the
composition of the human gene pool by
definition, although everything that affects
society has some effect on who
reproduces and who does not
The term was derived in the late 19th
century from the Greek verb eutheneo,
(eu, well; the, root of τίθημι tithemi, to
cause).
 (To be in a flourishing state, to abound
in, to prosper.—Demosthenes.
 To be strong or vigorous.—
Herodotus. To be vigorous in body.—
Aristotle.)
of the body: prosperity, good fortune,
abundance.—Herodotus.
The opposite of Euthenia is Penia, Πενία
("deficiency" or "poverty") the
personification of poverty and need. [6
Ellen Swallow Richards (Born in 1842–
died in 1911; Vassar Class of '70) was one
of the first writers to use the term, in The
Cost of Shelter (1905), with the meaning
"the science of better living".[7] It is
unclear if (and probably unlikely that) any
of the study programs of euthenics ever
completely embraced Richards'
multidisciplinary concept, though
several nuances remain today, especially
that of interdisciplinarity.
After Richards' death in 1911, Julia
Lathrop (1858–1932; VC '80) continued to
promote the development of an
interdisciplinary program in euthenics at
the college. Lathrop soon teamed with
alumna Minnie Cumnock Blodgett (1862–
1931; VC '84), who with her husband, John
Wood Blodgett, offered financial support
to create a program of euthenics at Vassar
College. Curriculum planning, suggested
by Vassar president Henry Noble
MacCracken in 1922, began in earnest by
1923, under the direction of Professor
Annie Louise Macleod (Chemistry; First
woman PhD, McGill University, 1910)
According to Vassar's chronology entry for
March 17, 1924, "the faculty recognized
euthenics as a satisfactory field for
sequential study (major). A Division of
Euthenics was authorized to offer
a multidisciplinary program [radical at the
time] focusing the techniques and
disciplines of the arts, sciences and social
sciences on the life experiences and
relationships of women. Students in
euthenics could take courses in
horticulture, food chemistry, sociology
and statistics, education, child study,
economics, economic geography,
physiology, hygiene, public health,
psychology and domestic architecture and
furniture. With the new division came the
first major in child study at an American
liberal arts college."[9]
For example, a typical major in child study
in euthenics includes introductory
psychology, laboratory psychology,
applied psychology, child study and social
psychology in the Department of
Psychology; the three courses offered in
the Department of Child Study; beginning
economics, programs of social
reorganization and the family in
Economics; and in the Department of
Physiology, human physiology, child
hygiene, principles of public health.[10]
The Vassar Summer Institute of
Euthenics accepted its first students in
June 1926. Created to supplement the
controversial euthenics major which
began February 21, 1925, it was also
located in the new Minnie Cumnock
Blodgett Hall of Euthenics (York & Sawyer,
architects; ground broke October 25,
1925). Some Vassar faculty members
(perhaps emotionally upset with being
displaced on campus to make way, or
otherwise politically motivated)
contentiously "believed the entire concept
of euthenics was vague and counter-
productive to women's progress."[11]
Having overcome a lukewarm reception,
Vassar College officially opened its Minnie
Cumnock Blodgett Hall of Euthenics in
1929.[8] Dr. Ruth Wheeler (Physiology and
Nutrition – VC '99) took over as director of
euthenics studies in 1924. Wheeler
remained director until Mary Shattuck
Fisher Langmuir (VC '20) succeeded her in
1944, until 1951.[11]
The college continued for the 1934–35
academic year its successful cooperative
housing experiment in three residence
halls. Intended to help students meet their
college costs by working in their
residences. For example, in Main, students
earned $40 a year by doing relatively light
work such as cleaning their rooms.[12]
In 1951, Katharine Blodgett Hadley (VC
'20) donated $400,000, through
the Rubicon Foundation, to Vassar to help
fund operating deficits in the current and
succeeding years and to improve faculty
salaries.[13]
"Discontinued for financial reasons, the
Vassar Summer Institute for Family and
Community Living, founded in 1926 as the
Vassar Summer Institute of Euthenics, held
its last session, July 2, 1958. This was the
first and last session for the institute's new
director, Dr. Mervin Freedman."[14]
Elmira College
Elmira College is noted as the oldest
college still in existence which (as
a college for women) granted degrees to
women which were the equivalent of
those given to men (the first to do so was
the now-defunct Mary Sharp College).
 Elmira College became coeducational in
[15]
all of its programs in 1969.
A special article was written in the
December 12, 1937 New York Times,
quoting recent graduates of Elmira
College, urging for courses in colleges for
men on the care of children. Reporting
that "preparation for the greatest of all
professions, that of motherhood and
child-training, is being given the students
at Elmira College in the Nursery School
which is Conducted as part of the
Department of Euthenics."[16]
Elmira College was one of the first of the
liberal arts colleges to recognize the fact
that women should have some special
training, integrated with the so-called
liberal studies, which would prepare them
to carry on, with less effort and fewer
mistakes, a successful family life. Courses
in nutrition, household economics,
clothing selection, principles of foods and
meal planning, child psychology, and
education in family relations are a part of
the curriculum.[16]
The Elmira College nursery school for
fifteen children between the ages of two
and five years was opened primarily as a
laboratory for college students, but it had
become so popular with parents in the
community that there was always a long
waiting list.[16]
The New York Times article notes how the
nursery had become one of the essential
laboratories of the college, where recent
mothers testified to the value of the
training they received while in college.
"Today," one graduate said, "when it is
often necessary for young women to
continue professional work outside the
home after marriage, it is important that
young fathers, who must share in the
actual care and training of the children,
should have some knowledge of correct
methods."[16]
Today
Many factors led to the movement never
getting the funding it needed to remain
relevant, including: vigorous debate about
the exact meaning of euthenics, a
strong antifeminism movement paralleling
even stronger women's rights movements,
confusion with the term eugenics, the
economic impact of the Great
Depression and two world wars. These
factors also prevented the discipline from
gaining the attention it needed to put
together a lasting,
vastly multidisciplinary curriculum.
Therefore, it split off into separate
disciplines. Child Study is one such
curriculum.
Martin Heggestad of the Mann Library
notes that "Starting around 1920,
however, home economists tended to
move into other fields, such as nutrition
and textiles, that offered more career
opportunities, while health issues were
dealt with more in the hard sciences and
in the professions of nursing and public
health. Also, improvements in public
sanitation (for example, the wider
availability of sewage systems and of food
inspection) led to a decline in infectious
diseases and thus a decreasing need for
the largely household-based measures
taught by home economists."[17] Thus, the
end of euthenics as originally defined by
Ellen Swallow Richards ensued.
Relationship with eugenics
According to Ellen Richards, in her
book Euthenics: the science of controllable
environment (1910):[5]
The betterment of living conditions,
through conscious endeavor, for the
purpose of securing efficient human
beings, is what the author means by
Euthenics.
"Human vitality depends upon two
primary conditions—heredity and hygiene
—or conditions preceding birth and
conditions during life."
Eugenics deals with race improvement
through heredity.
Euthenics deals with race improvement
through environment.
Eugenics is hygiene for the future
generations.
Euthenics is hygiene for the present
generation.
Eugenics must await careful investigation.
Euthenics has immediate opportunity.
Euthenics precedes eugenics, developing
better men now, and thus inevitably
creating a better race of men in the future.
Euthenics is the term proposed for the
preliminary science on which Eugenics
must be based.
"Not through chance, but through
increase of scientific knowledge; not
through compulsion, but through
democratic idealism consciously working
through common interests, will be
brought about the creation of right
conditions, the control of the
environment." (Ellen H. Swallow Richards)[5]
"Right living conditions comprise pure
food and a safe water supply, a clean and
disease free atmosphere in which to live
and work, proper shelter and adjustment
of work, rest, and amusements." (Ellen H.
Swallow Richards)[5]
"Probably not more than twenty-five
percent in any community are capable of
doing a full days work such as they would
be capable of doing if they were in perfect
health" (Ellen H. Swallow Richards)[5]
"Men ignore nature's laws in their
personal lives. They crave a larger measure
of goodness and happiness, and yet in
their choice of dwelling places, in their
building of houses to live in, in their
selection of food and drink, in their
clothing of their bodies, in their choice of
occupations and amusements, in their
methods and habits of work, they
disregard natural laws and impose upon
themselves conditions that make their
ideals of goodness and happiness
impossible of attainment." (George E.
Dawson, The control of life through
Environment)[5]
"It is within the power of every living man
to rid himself of every parasitic disease."
(Louis Pasteur)[5]
 Also from the Greek Euthenia, Εὐθηνία.
Introduction to Euthenics Good state of the body: prosperity, good
fortune, abundance.—Herodotus.[5]
Euthenics /juːˈθɛnɪks/ is the study of
improvement of human functioning
The opposite of Euthenia is Penia, Πενία
and well-being by improvement of living
("deficiency" or "poverty") the
conditions.[1] "Improvement" is conducted
personification of poverty and need. [6
by altering external factors such
as education and the Ellen Swallow Richards (Born in 1842–died
controllable environments, including the in 1911; Vassar Class of '70) was one of
prevention and removal of contagious the first writers to use the term, in The
disease and parasites, environmentalism, Cost of Shelter (1905), with the meaning
education regarding employment, home "the science of better living".[7] It is unclear
economics, sanitation, and housing.[citation needed] if (and probably unlikely that) any of the
study programs of euthenics ever
Rose Field notes of the definition in a May
completely embraced Richards'
23, 1926 New York Times article, "the
multidisciplinary concept, though several
simplest being efficient living".[2] A right to
nuances remain today, especially that
environment.[3]
of interdisciplinarity.
The Flynn effect has been often cited as
After Richards' death in 1911, Julia
an example of euthenics. Another example
Lathrop (1858–1932; VC '80) continued to
is the steady increase in body size in
promote the development of an
industrialized countries since the
interdisciplinary program in euthenics at
beginning of the 20th century.
the college. Lathrop soon teamed with
alumna Minnie Cumnock Blodgett (1862–
Euthenics is not normally interpreted to
1931; VC '84), who with her husband, John
have anything to do with changing the
Wood Blodgett, offered financial support
composition of the human gene pool by
to create a program of euthenics at Vassar
definition, although everything that affects
College. Curriculum planning, suggested
society has some effect on who
by Vassar president Henry Noble
reproduces and who does not.[4]
MacCracken in 1922, began in earnest by
1923, under the direction of Professor
The term was derived in the late 19th
Annie Louise Macleod (Chemistry; First
century from the Greek verb eutheneo,
woman PhD, McGill University, 1910).[8]
εὐθηνέω (eu, well; the, root of
τίθημι tithemi, to cause).
According to Vassar's chronology entry for
March 17, 1924, "the faculty recognized
(To be in a flourishing state, to abound in,
euthenics as a satisfactory field for
to prosper.—Demosthenes. To be strong
sequential study (major). A Division of
or vigorous.—Herodotus. To be vigorous
Euthenics was authorized to offer
in body.—Aristotle.[5])
a multidisciplinary program [radical at the
time] focusing the techniques and
disciplines of the arts, sciences and social
sciences on the life experiences and
relationships of women. Students in
euthenics could take courses in
horticulture, food chemistry, sociology
and statistics, education, child study,
economics, economic geography,
physiology, hygiene, public health,
psychology and domestic architecture and
furniture. With the new division came the
first major in child study at an American
liberal arts college."[9]
For example, a typical major in child study
in euthenics includes introductory
psychology, laboratory psychology,
applied psychology, child study and social
psychology in the Department of
Psychology; the three courses offered in
the Department of Child Study; beginning
economics, programs of social
reorganization and the family in
Economics; and in the Department of
Physiology, human physiology, child
hygiene, principles of public health.[10]
The Vassar Summer Institute of
Euthenics accepted its first students in
June 1926. Created to supplement the
controversial euthenics major which
began February 21, 1925, it was also
located in the new Minnie Cumnock
Blodgett Hall of Euthenics (York & Sawyer,
architects; ground broke October 25,
1925). Some Vassar faculty members
(perhaps emotionally upset with being
displaced on campus to make way, or
otherwise politically motivated)
contentiously "believed the entire concept
of euthenics was vague and counter-
productive to women's progress."[11]
Having overcome a lukewarm reception,
Vassar College officially opened its Minnie
Cumnock Blodgett Hall of Euthenics in
1929.[8] Dr. Ruth Wheeler (Physiology and
Nutrition – VC '99) took over as director of
euthenics studies in 1924. Wheeler
remained director until Mary Shattuck
Fisher Langmuir (VC '20) succeeded her in
1944, until 1951.[11]
The college continued for the 1934–35
academic year its successful cooperative
housing experiment in three residence
halls. Intended to help students meet their
college costs by working in their
residences. For example, in Main, students
earned $40 a year by doing relatively light
work such as cleaning their rooms.[12]
In 1951, Katharine Blodgett Hadley (VC
'20) donated $400,000, through
the Rubicon Foundation, to Vassar to help
fund operating deficits in the current and
succeeding years and to improve faculty
salaries.[13]
"Discontinued for financial reasons, the
Vassar Summer Institute for Family and
Community Living, founded in 1926 as the
Vassar Summer Institute of Euthenics, held
its last session, July 2, 1958. This was the
first and last session for the institute's new
director, Dr. Mervin Freedman."[14]
Elmira College
Elmira College is noted as the oldest
college still in existence which (as
a college for women) granted degrees to
women which were the equivalent of
those given to men (the first to do so was
the now-defunct Mary Sharp College).
 Elmira College became coeducational in
[15]
all of its programs in 1969.
A special article was written in the
December 12, 1937 New York Times,
quoting recent graduates of Elmira
College, urging for courses in colleges for
men on the care of children. Reporting
that "preparation for the greatest of all
professions, that of motherhood and
child-training, is being given the students
at Elmira College in the Nursery School
which is Conducted as part of the
Department of Euthenics."[16]
Elmira College was one of the first of the
liberal arts colleges to recognize the fact
that women should have some special
training, integrated with the so-called
liberal studies, which would prepare them
to carry on, with less effort and fewer
mistakes, a successful family life. Courses
in nutrition, household economics,
clothing selection, principles of foods and
meal planning, child psychology, and
education in family relations are a part of
the curriculum.[16]
The Elmira College nursery school for
fifteen children between the ages of two
and five years was opened primarily as a
laboratory for college students, but it had
become so popular with parents in the
community that there was always a long
waiting list.[16]
The New York Times article notes how the
nursery had become one of the essential
laboratories of the college, where recent
mothers testified to the value of the
training they received while in college.
"Today," one graduate said, "when it is
often necessary for young women to
continue professional work outside the
home after marriage, it is important that
young fathers, who must share in the
actual care and training of the children,
should have some knowledge of correct
methods."[16]
Today
Many factors led to the movement never
getting the funding it needed to remain
relevant, including: vigorous debate about
the exact meaning of euthenics, a
strong antifeminism movement paralleling
even stronger women's rights movements,
confusion with the term eugenics, the
economic impact of the Great
Depression and two world wars. These
factors also prevented the discipline from
gaining the attention it needed to put
together a lasting,
vastly multidisciplinary curriculum.
Therefore, it split off into separate
disciplines. Child Study is one such
curriculum.
Martin Heggestad of the Mann Library
notes that "Starting around 1920,
however, home economists tended to
move into other fields, such as nutrition
and textiles, that offered more career
opportunities, while health issues were
dealt with more in the hard sciences and
in the professions of nursing and public
health. Also, improvements in public
sanitation (for example, the wider
availability of sewage systems and of food
inspection) led to a decline in infectious
diseases and thus a decreasing need for
the largely household-based measures
taught by home economists."[17] Thus, the
end of euthenics as originally defined by
Ellen Swallow Richards ensued.
Relationship with eugenics
According to Ellen Richards, in her
book Euthenics: the science of controllable
environment (1910):[5]
The betterment of living conditions,
through conscious endeavor, for the
purpose of securing efficient human
beings, is what the author means by
Euthenics.
"Human vitality depends upon two
primary conditions—heredity and hygiene
—or conditions preceding birth and
conditions during life."
Eugenics deals with race improvement
through heredity.
Euthenics deals with race improvement
through environment.
Eugenics is hygiene for the future
generations.
Euthenics is hygiene for the present
generation.
Eugenics must await careful investigation.
Euthenics has immediate opportunity.
Euthenics precedes eugenics, developing
better men now, and thus inevitably
creating a better race of men in the future.
Euthenics is the term proposed for the
preliminary science on which Eugenics
must be based.
"Not through chance, but through
increase of scientific knowledge; not
through compulsion, but through
democratic idealism consciously working
through common interests, will be
brought about the creation of right
conditions, the control of the
environment." (Ellen H. Swallow Richards)[5]
"Right living conditions comprise pure
food and a safe water supply, a clean and
disease free atmosphere in which to live
and work, proper shelter and adjustment
of work, rest, and amusements." (Ellen H.
Swallow Richards)[5]
"Probably not more than twenty-five
percent in any community are capable of
doing a full days work such as they would
be capable of doing if they were in perfect
health" (Ellen H. Swallow Richards)[5]
"Men ignore nature's laws in their
personal lives. They crave a larger measure
of goodness and happiness, and yet in
their choice of dwelling places, in their
building of houses to live in, in their
selection of food and drink, in their
clothing of their bodies, in their choice of
occupations and amusements, in their
methods and habits of work, they
disregard natural laws and impose upon
themselves conditions that make their
ideals of goodness and happiness
impossible of attainment." (George E.
Dawson, The control of life through
Environment)[5]
"It is within the power of every living man
to rid himself of every parasitic disease."
(Louis Pasteur)[5]