Harvey E. Jordan

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Harvey E. Jordan

Dr. Harvey E. Jordan was a professor of anatomy and histology and eventual dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine.[1] Jordan Hall, built in 1972, was named after him, although this was later changed, partially owing to his reputation as a Eugenicist in his early academic career.[2]

Early Life

Jordan was born on August 14,1878 in Pennsylvania to a family of farmers. Growing up on a farm, he developed an interest in heredity while playing in barns. Jordan earned his bachelor's degree in 1903 and master's in 1904 from Lehigh University. From 1904 to 1906, Jordan was a teaching assistant in histology at the Cornell University Medical College. He began teaching at the University of Virginia in 1907.[3]

Career

During his time at the University of Virginia, Jordan, along with other professors like Ivey Foreman Lewis and Robert Bennet Bean, made the university a leader in the study of eugenics.

In 1926, Jordan and James E. Kindred wrote A Textbook of Embryology which contained a chapter on eugenics. The chapter defines the study of eugenics and discusses possible applications of it.[4]

The chapter states: “Eugenics, as based on the data of human genetics, is properly designated a science. The science of eugenics then is the study of the conditions of improving the human race; the art of eugenics consists of the application of the results of such study”[5]

In the chapter, Jordan in Kindred also outlined several strategies for “cutting off human defectives and degenerates” like sterilization, restrictive marriage laws, and segregation. While they claim that the textbook is not a complete definition and summary of eugenics, Jordan and Kindred claimed that it was meant to spark interest in the study. At the time the textbook was written in 1926, several professors in UVA’s College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine taught or researched some form of eugenics.[5] Jordan researched other traits that he thought were linked to genetics like left-handedness and thumbprints.

Jordan worked with the American Eugenics Society to create eugenic propaganda and legislation in the state of Virginia. His and the society's advocacy resulted in the 1924 Sterilization Act and the 1924 Racial Integrity Act. Both pieces of legislation cemented Virginia as a major part of the eugenics movement.

In 1939, Jordan was made dean of UVA's School of Medicine. He held the position until 1949.

References

  1. Web. Harvey E. Jordan, Encyclopedia Virginia, retrieved May 30, 2024.
  2. Web. Pinn Hall Dedication Highlights Namesake and Future of Medical Research, Anne E. Bromley, News Article, UVAToday, September 13, 2017, retrieved June 4, 2024.
  3. Book. [ Segregation's Science], Gregory M. Dorr, University of Virginia Press, retrieved June 12, 2024.
  4. Web. “Chapter XXVII Eugenics” (1926), Encyclopedia Virginia, retrieved June 7, 2024.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Book. A Textbook of Embryology, Harvey E. Jordan and James E. Kindred, retrieved June 7, 2024.

External Links