Lombardo (law, Georgia State Univ.) traces a seminal 1927 Supreme Court case arising from the attempt by authorities in Virginia to force the sterilization of a woman believed to be mentally and socially "insufficient." Lombardo carefully re-creates the trial, which resulted in a ruling formally endorsing the sterilization of Carrie Buck. The case quickly advanced to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the justices ruled that the sterilization law did not violate the Eighth Amendment. Lombardo minces no words in expressing his disdain for the lackluster performance and conflicts of interest of Buck's attorney. Carrie's fate before the Court, argues the author, was partially attributable to social Darwinism as well as the attitude of the Court's chief social arbiter, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., that society should not bear the burden of people born without pedigree, status, intelligence, or capacity. Lombardo observes that by the early 1970s medical science had strongly discredited the notion that bad heredity could be interrupted by sterilization, and the entire movement ground to a screeching halt. This original study is highly recommended for academic, public, and law libraries.
Reviewer: Suzanne M Shultz, MA (York Hospital)Description: This book about the Buck v. Bell Supreme Court decision and its lasting implications for eugenic sterilization policies broadly describes the U.S. eugenics movement, its history and prime movers, the creation of a "Model Sterilization Law" in Virginia, and the adoption of numerous state laws permitting sterilization surgery. The events surrounding the Buck v. Bell test case, the players, the testimony, arguments, decisions, appeals, and reactions are carefully considered. The title is drawn from the majority opinion written by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in the 1927 case.Purpose: The author points to recent genetic advances, notably the Human Genome Project, as his impetus for writing this book. He notes, "The recent triumphs in genetic science announced alongside revelations and recriminations about eugenics — and happening alongside ongoing challenges to reproductive rights - suggest that we have much to learn about Buck v. Bell. This book is the starting point in our lesson." He adds, "Buck is regularly mentioned in books on law, science, and medical history, but has never been adequately explained in a well-documented book of its own. This book tells that story, a notorious - and still open - chapter in U.S. history."Audience: Medical practitioners, students, and historians; scientists; lawyers; legislators; ethicists; public health workers; social workers; behavioral health practitioners; general historians; and the public will appreciate the value of this work. Paul Lombardo, PhD, JD is professor of law at the Georgia State University College of Law and is widely published on eugenics and involuntary sterilization surgery, including the Buck decision. Features: The core of the book is in the middle chapters where creation of the Virginia sterilization law is detailed and the stage is set for the Buck v. Bell test case. Five chapters are devoted to the conduct of the trial, the appeals in Virginia and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court decision. Two additional chapters summarize the reactions to the decision and the subsequent lives of the people involved. Notably worthwhile is the history of the eugenics movement, the biographical sketches of its leaders, and their research methodologies. Connections between and exchange of research procedures and philosophy with the Nazi regime prior to and during World War II and Germany's implementation of eugenic sterilization on a massive scale comprises a chapter. The use of U.S. eugenic publications and application of its established legal foundations which were employed in defense of activities of Nazi physicians at the Nuremberg trials is disclosed in another chapter. Setting aside for the moment the broader issue of eugenics, the trial of Carrie Buck is portrayed as a miscarriage of justice, the result of the failure of her defense attorney's fiduciary duty. The author builds his case in the clear and unemotional style of the law. His assessment, however, is not without passion. Carrie Buck's attorney did not fail "simply because he was incompetent; Whitehead failed because he intended to fail." Buck v. Bell mocks the right to a fair trial and certainly violates the spirit of fair play. The outcome of the eugenics movement may have been quite different had Virginia's "Model Law" embodied in Carrie Buck failed to receive the judicial stamp of approval thus erasing Holmes's infamous words "Three generations, no imbeciles."Assessment: There is a relative paucity of information about Carrie Buck and the Buck v. Bell trial in both book and journal literature and certainly none that provides as much detail as this one does. For this analysis alone, this book is highly recommended. The eugenics material is a bonus.
Law professor and historian Paul Lombardo does a superb job of revealing, for the first time, all the facts in the infamous Buck v. Bell case of the 1920s, the Supreme Court decision ratifying Virginia's compulsory sterilization of 'feebleminded' people.—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Choice USA Today Criminal Law Library Blog Booklist Three Generations, No Imbeciles into a polemic . . . Armed with knowledge from this excellent book, we can hope we never return to the mistakes of our past.—Internet Review of Books Three Generations, No Imbeciles is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of Buck v. Bell and its implications for ethics, law and public policy.—New England Journal of Medicine Pathophilia Reason History News Network PsycCRITIQUES Three Generations, No Imbeciles gives Carrie Buck's long-untold story the attention it deserves.—Harvard Law Review Virginia Lawyer Commonweal Psychiatric Services Three Generations provides valuable, new, and timely revelations for students and professional scholars across many disciplines.—Disability Studies Quarterly H-Law, H-Net Reviews Quarterly Review of Biology American Journal of Bioethics Buck v. Bell than Lombardo's book.—Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences Buck v. Bell to a broader debate over the place of eugenics in American life and law . . . Having amassed over two decades of research, including interviewing Carrie Buck, Lombardo is uniquely qualified to tell this story.—Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Three Generations, No Imbeciles manages to be both a meticulously researched work of history and a compelling story.—Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics Magill Book Reviews Buck v. Bell for many years to come.—American Historical Review Journal of Legal Education Buck v. Bell , and by the end of the text, the reader is left with no doubt that the case, which has never been overturned, was mired in deceit . . . Fascinating nuggets of racial politics, class inequality, and fear of the female body.—Law & Society Review Nursing History Review Metapsychology
A remarkable work of investigation and narrative synthesis, Lombardo connects Buck v. Bell to a broader debate over the place of eugenics in American life and law . . . Having amassed over two decades of research, including interviewing Carrie Buck, Lombardo is uniquely qualified to tell this story.
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
Lombardo convincingly shows that the eugenics of the 1920s, despite professional reversals and government apologies, still echoes in discussions of designer babies, grumbling about the costs of social programs and attempts to calculate the financial value of life.
Three Generations, No Imbeciles chronicles Buck's tragic life and reviews the larger history of American eugenics in a moving narrative that will appeal to a broad audience of lay readers interested in controversies over reproductive rights, public health, science, and the law.
Compelling . . . brilliant . . . and refreshing.
The struggle for justice goes on. Bioethicists typically ask 'ought' questions, but not all follow up with activism. More bioethicists should accept the social activist role. Paul Lombardo demonstrates exactly how it can be done.
American Journal of Bioethics - Ruth Levy Guyer
Most thorough examination to date . . . Readers will be both intrigued and disturbed by what they encounter.
Meticulously detailed and researched history . . . this book is enjoyable, thought provoking, and troubling in equal measure. I highly recommend it.
This painstakingly researched book will surely be the definitive study of Buck v. Bell for many years to come.
American Historical Review - Diane B. Paul
A powerful commentary on the dangers of politicized medicine and social engineering.
As a historical endeavor, it is rich and rewarding, permitting the reader a broad understanding of the social, cultural and legal context for the case that inspired Oliver Wendell Holmes' famous quotation, 'Three generations of imbeciles are enough.' . . . Equally important as the excavation of this history is the manner in which Lombardo's writing surfaces the emotional consequences of fertility-related policies.
Journal of Legal Education
In a very readable 279 pages, Paul A. Lombardo sets forth the facts about the eugenics movement in the United States.
Meticulously researched . . . As Lombardo conclusively demonstrates, those who sought to have Buck sterilized did not let the facts get in the way of the story the law required them to tell.
A sad and fascinating book . . . With his legal and historical background, Lombardo is particularly suited to give us a book that explains a surprisingly ignored injustice, its antecedents and consequences, and helps us to think about the ongoing struggle to find a healthy balance between privacy and government power.
What makes Lombardo's analysis so important is that issues about the fate of our mutant genes, about the use of technologies to monitor pregnancies at risk for birth defects, and alternatives to relying on chance alone are subverted by our fear of eugenics.
Quarterly Review of Biology
An engrossing look at a shameful case.
A powerful commentary on the dangers of politicized medicine and social engineering.
Magill Book Reviews - Daniel P. Murphy
Overall, a fascinating book on one of the darker decisions in US law. An excellent addition to collections on US constitutional law, history, and reproductive rights.
Highly recommended for academic, public, and law libraries.
Criminal Law Library Blog
This book is suitable for any audience interested in the history of the eugenics movement in the United States.
Metapsychology - Susan L. Smith
Startling.
This book is suitable for any audience interested in the history of the eugenics movement in the United States.
The book is lucidly written, well researched, thorough, and provocative . . . Three Generations, No Imbeciles is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of Buck v. Bell and its implications for ethics, law and public policy.
New England Journal of Medicine
Compelling and well-researched . . . Three Generations, No Imbeciles gives Carrie Buck's long-untold story the attention it deserves.
In a very readable 279 pages, Paul A. Lombardo sets forth the facts about the eugenics movement in the United Sates.
Virginia Lawyer - Robert T. Adams
Meticulously detailed and researched history . . . this book is enjoyable, thought provoking, and troubling in equal measure. I highly recommend it.
Psychiatric Services - Susan Stefan
This painstakingly researched book will surely be the definitive study of Buck v. Bell for many years to come.
American Historical Review
For almost 30 years, Lombardo has tried to uncover the full story of the wrongs.
USA Today - Andrea Pitzer
What makes Lombardo's analysis so important is that issues about the fate of our mutant genes, about the use of technologies to monitor pregnancies at risk for birth defects, and alternatives to relying on chance alone are subverted by our fear of eugenics.
Quarterly Review of Biology - Elof Axel Carlson
Three Generations provides valuable, new, and timely revelations for students and professional scholars across many disciplines.
Disability Studies Quarterly
Startling.
Three Generations, No Imbeciles manages to be both a meticulously researched work of history and a compelling story.
Medicine & Ethics Journal of Law
Three Generations provides valuable, new, and timely revelations for students and professional scholars across many disciplines.
Disability Studies Quarterly - Susan Burch
Lombardo does full justice to this incredibly important and heartbreakingly tragic Supreme Court decision. His book places in stark relief a horrific miscarriage of justice and shows in full detail how the power of the judicial system can be used to undermine, corrupt, and ultimately destroy any vestige of equal protection under the law for poor, defenseless people in our society. It is a 'must read' for anyone who cares about the rule of law and the cause of social justice.
Highly recommended for academic, public, and law libraries.
Criminal Law Library Blog - Philip Y. Blue
Compelling . . brilliant . . . and refreshing.
Comptes Rendus Biologies - Jana Grekul
Lombardo convincingly shows that the eugenics of the 1920s, despite professional reversals and government apologies, still echoes in discussions of designer babies, grumbling about the costs of social programs and attempts to calculate the financial value of life.
Nursing History Review - Edward Slavishak
A remarkable work of investigation and narrative synthesis, Lombardo connects Buck v. Bell to a broader debate over the place of eugenics in American life and law . . . Having amassed over two decades of research, including interviewing Carrie Buck, Lombardo is uniquely qualified to tell this story.
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography - Jason Morgan Ward
Three Generations, No Imbeciles manages to be both a meticulously researched work of history and a compelling story.
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics - John G. Browning
Heartbreaking and riveting . . . There is likely to be no better account of Buck v. Bell than Lombardo's book.
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
Lombardo reminds us that the same incentives to improve public health and lower tax burdens exist today.
Lombardo does an excellent job of meticulously laying out the sham nature of Buck v. Bell , and by the end of the text, the reader is left with no doubt that the case, which has never been overturned, was mired in deceit . . . Fascinating nuggets of racial politics, class inequality, and fear of the female body.
Heartbreaking and riveting . . . There is likely to be no better account of Buck v. Bell than Lombardo's book.
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences - Ian Dowbiggin
Most thorough examination to date . . . Readers will be both intrigued and disturbed by what they encounter.
H-Law, H-Net Reviews - Lynne Curry
A sad and fascinating book . . . With his legal and historical background, Lombardo is particularly suited to give us a book that explains a surprisingly ignored injustice, its antecedents and consequences, and helps us to think about the ongoing struggle to find a health balance between privacy and government power.
History News Network - Stephen Murdoch
Three Generations, No Imbeciles chronicles Buck's tragic life and reviews the larger history of American eugenics in a moving narrative that will appeal to a broad audience of lay readers interested in controversies over reproductive rights, public health, science, and the law.
This book is a legal and historical masterpiece, combining meticulous ethical analysis with a liveliness that belies its scholarly roots and exhaustive footnotes and research.
Lombardo tells a compelling and heavily documented story of injustice to society’s less fortunate citizens. His sympathy for the abused is evident, but that does not turn Three Generations, No Imbeciles into a polemic . . . Armed with knowledge from this excellent book, we can hope we never return to the mistakes of our past.
The struggle for justice goes on. Bioethicists typically ask 'ought' questions, but not all follow up with activism. More bioethicists should accept the social activist role. Paul Lombardo demonstrates exactly how it can be done.
American Journal of Bioethics
As a historical endeavor, it is rich and rewarding, permitting the reader a broad understanding of the social, cultural and legal context for the case that inspired Oliver Wendell Holmes' famous quotation, 'Three generations of imbeciles are enough.' . . . Equally important as the excavation of this history is the manner in which Lombardo's writing surfaces the emotional consequences of fertility-related policies.
Journal of Legal Education - Michelle Oberman
Meticulously researched . . . As Lombardo conclusively demonstrates, those who sought to have Buck sterilized did not let the facts get in the way of the story the law required them to tell.
Commonweal - Paul Lauritzen
For almost 30 years, Lombardo has tried to uncover the full story of the wrongs.
"This book is a legal and historical masterpiece, combining meticulous ethical analysis with a liveliness that belies its scholarly roots and exhaustive footnotes and research."
PsycCRITIQUES - Michael B. Blank
"An engrossing look at a shameful case."
For almost 30 years, Lombardo has tried to uncover the full story of the wrongs.
— Andrea Pitzer
Startling.
— Damon W. Root
