[Three historical examples of eugenics before Galton (1883): Plato, Soranus and Vandermonde (part 1)]

There is a pre-history of Eugenics as well as a history. Although the concept was introduced by Galton in 1883, there were, before this, numerous texts, both philosophical and medical, which put forward theories aimed at standardising or improving man. From Ancient Greek times to the Enlightenment of the 18th Century, many authors have wished to influence human reproduction, to improve results. Plato in Athens, Soranus of Ephesus in Rome and Charles-Augustin Vandermonde in Paris are three examples from this pre-history of Eugenics. This article is published in two parts, with the second in the next edition of the journal.