Browsing by Author "Fleming, Philip J"

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    Eugenics in New Zealand 1900-1940 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1981) Fleming, Philip J
    No abstract. The following taken from introduction: From approximately 1900 social workers, doctors, biologists and legislators throughout the Western world began in increasing numbers to direct their attention to eugenics, an applied 'science' which aimed at improving the genetic potentialities of the human species. As the new creed gained respect and as individuals, many of them in the front-line of the health and social services, sought an explanation for society's ills and a means of curing them, eugenic societies sprung up in many countries, assuming a different character wherever they took root. This thesis is a history of eugenics in New Zealand and it traces the development of eugenic thought from the early years of the twentieth century through to the 1930s when the subject experienced a brief revival of interest. By this time, however, eugenics had been deserted by the scientific establishment, who now realized that much of earlier eugenics propaganda was little more than unsubstantiated prejudice, and the creed was soon to be irreparably discredited by the demonstration of perverted eugenics in Nazi Germany. In tracing the history of eugenics in New Zealand attention is directed to the work of local writers on eugenics, to the role of politicians and to the activities of the New Zealand Eugenics Education Society. The Society was formed in Dunedin in 1910, three years after its parent body had been established in London, but despite the formation of other branches in Wellington, Christchurch and Timaru, the local Society persisted for less than four years. Interest in eugenics, at least in certain sectors of the population, remained high, however, and its role in a variety of issues which arose during the 1920s is examined. This agitation culminated in the 1924 Committee of Inquiry into Mental Defectives and Sexual Offenders and, four years later, the Mental Defectives Amendment Bill. In discussing the revival of interest in eugenics during the 1930s a case study of discussion on the subject in the Women's Division of the New Zealand Farmers' Union offers an insight into the mechanics of agitation and the issues raised by the topic
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    Radio broadcasting in Palmerston North, 1924-1937 : a research exercise... Bachelor of Arts with Honours in History at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1980) Fleming, Philip J
    The 1920s and 1930s were a period when many new developments were taking place in the field of leisure and entertainment, like the rise of the motor car and the emergence of the 'talking picture'. The introduction of radio broadcasting was, perhaps, one of the most important of these developments. New Zealanders took up the new medium with eagerness and from the plaything of a few enthusiastic amateurs, it developed into an integral part of community life. In 1921+-, for example, there were 2,830 radio licenses issued yet by 1934 there were 118,086 licenses current and by 1936 the total had risen to 192,265. This increased interest in radio reflected, to a considerable extent, improvements in the quality, coverage and organization of the Dominion's national radio stations. I would suggest, however, that the B class stations, small stations privately operated by groups of amateurs and radio dealers, played a vital role in introducing the new medium of radio to the community, a role which will be elucidated in the following pages. [From Introduction]
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    'Shadow over New Zealand' : the response to venereal disease in New Zealand, 1910-1945 : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in history at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1989) Fleming, Philip J
    The period from 1910 to 1945 saw the topic of venereal disease become an increasingly public one as politicians, health administrators and other interested groups attempted to formulate an effective response to the menace which it was believed that these diseases posed to the national health. This thesis sets out to explore how New Zealand responded to the 'threat' of venereal disease in this period and to examine the tensions which accompanied this. The major source of friction was the anxiety of some women's groups - and in particular the Women's Christian Temperance Union - that Government moves to 'toughen up' the existing venereal disease legislation threatened the civil liberties of the nation's women and signalled a return to the one-sided contagious diseases legislation of the previous century. After charting this response it examines the anxieties, aspirations and assumptions which helped to shape initiatives on venereal disease and to define the boundaries within which debate on the issue took place and within which socially and morally acceptable solutions were formulated. It suggests that the high level of concern with the issue of venereal disease in this period was not due solely to medical factors but was a response to social change including changes in the relationship between the sexes, the behaviour of the young and new developments in the field of popular culture. To protagonists, debate on the venereal disease issue offered a chance to articulate these anxieties and an opportunity to highlight the social cost of the alleged moral decline of the nation. Analysis of the episode also suggests that these concerns were heightened by aspirations about New Zealand society and the desire to avoid the ills of the 'old world'. Analysis of the period also suggests that while the years from 1910 to 1945 witnessed change in the medical treatment of these diseases, there was considerable continuity in attitudes towards the issue. In particular there was a persistent nervousness about the promotion of prophylaxis and about public discussion on the subject. Explanations for this nervousness are examined in the second part of the thesis. The thesis concludes by critically examining the theoretical apparatus which some commentators have used to analyse the topic abroad. It suggests that attempts to portray a clash between moral and medical viewpoints are not appropriate to the New Zealand experience and reflect, instead, the assumptions of modern observors. It also suggests that attempts by feminist historians to portray initiatives on venereal disease as a crude attempt to impose social control on women risk distorting contemporary reality and ignoring the complexities of the contemporary context.