In the first book to explore the theory and practice of eugenics in the American South, Edward J. Larson shows how the quest for "strong bloodlines" expressed itself in state laws and public policies from the Progressive Era through World War II. Larson shows how the seemingly broad-based eugenics movement was in fact a series of distinct campaigns by small groups of determined individuals for legislation at the state level. "Physicians and historians will be richly rewarded by reading Larson's account of [the South's] eugenic practices and his admirable abstention from bootless moralizing...Larson's work evokes powerful memories of the physical violation of many thousands of Americans...Contemporary medical genetics in most nations has purged itself of all vestiges of eugenics but the memory. Nonetheless, Larson's book and others remind us that the legacy remains."--John C. Fletcher, 'New England Journal of Medicine' "Analyzing eugenic reforms in the context of state policies, Larson's detailed and interesting study suggests that the [eugenics] movement did not necessarily follow the same pattern throughout the United States, but rather reflected the culture and history of particular regions...His concerns are particularly salient these days when books like 'The Bell Curve' are claiming that science supports concerns about the risk of degeneracy and the threats posed by 'dysgenic practices.'"--Dorothy Nelken, 'Journal of the American Medical Association' "Required reading for all policy-makers called upon to tackle the complex issues integral to the applications of genetics to humans."--Willard B. Gatewood, 'Georgia Historical Quarterly' "'Sex, Race and Science' is meticulously researched. It will undoubtedly be seen as the major resource on the history of involuntary sterilization laws in this region for a long time."--Philip Reilly, 'Medical Humanities Review'