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Eugenic ideas of kinship and blood-Paolo Mantegazza (1831-1910)
| Among the messages proclaimed by the Italian medical scientist and author Paolo Mantegazza there were also eugenic ideas. At their center one finds hygiene in the very broad sense as a means of preventing illnesses and unwelcome sexual relationships that, according to Mantegazza, could endanger reproduction. In my paper I will focus on three aspects: (1) the situation of eugenics in Italy in its competition with the Catholic church; (2) the two books entitled *Studies on consanguineous marriages“ and *One day in Madera. A moment in the hygiene of love“ where Mantegazza deals with the meanings of blood and kinship; and (3) the contemporary discussion about syphilis and kin marriage which deeply worried 19th century society.
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