[FIRST TRANSLATED EUGENICS WORK IN BOOK FORM] Islâh-i irk. [i.e. Eugenics]. Translated by Mustafa Rahmi Balaban
KARL [CARL] PEARSON, (1857-1936), Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Hükümeti Maarif Vekâleti Nesriyâti / Matbaa-yi Âmire, Istanbul, [AH 1339] = 1923.
Original wrappers. Cr. 8vo. (19,5 x 14 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 14 p.
First and only Turkish edition of this important, rare, and the first work on eugenics in Turkey in book form, translated by Balaban from English, from a lecture Pearson gave at Oxford University, including the idea of the human race can be grown more perfectly in the future as well as the species of animals and plants. Balaban indicated in his preface of the work that Eugenism is discussed in the western world under the leadership of Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911), and it should be progressed in Turkey as well. Especially in this period when epidemics are common, the book emphasizes how important it is to combat these diseases.
Mustafa Rahmi Balaban (1888-1953), tried to spread the principles and methods of modern pedagogy and contribute to the training of teachers in that period when the number of modern education and training institutions and the number of books and teachers is extremely low since 1923, when he was appointed as a member of the Turkish Ministry of Education, Copyright and Translation Committee, as a well-trained educator. He wrote about eighty copyrighted and translated works in fields such as pedagogy, philosophy, ethics, Turkish language, children's literature, civilization, and cultural history, and more than sixty of them were published.
"Karl [Carl] Pearson (1857-1936) was a biometrician who became the first Galton Chair of Eugenics at University College London, where he also taught as a professor of applied mathematics and mechanics (Porter, 2013). He is remembered for being a founder of modern statistics (Porter, 2013).
Pearson published the book, The Grammar of Science in 1892, which prompted him to emphasize the importance of data and statistics in biological and social sciences (Porter, 2013). These beliefs influenced Pearson's thoughts on natural selection and turned him towards eugenics (Porter, 2013).
Pearson also helped found the first journal dealing with modern statistics, Biometrika with Sir Francis Galton, and Walter F. R. Weldon (Porter, 2013).
Pearson was fascinated with heredity and statistics (Paul & Moore, 2010). He launched various studies on the differences in eye color, fertility, and longevity (Paul & Moore, 2010). Although he was influenced by Galton, his eugenic views were much harsher. For instance, he believed that “superior and inferior races cannot coexist; if the former is to make effective use of global resources; the latter must be extirpated” (Pearson, 1901, as cited in Paul & Moore, 2010, p. 39)." (Source: Kubergovich & Leung).
Özege 8158.; OCLC 1030931792 (Only one copy in Orient-Institut Istanbul).