Clarence Gamble Eugenics

Clarence Gamble was a prominent American physician and eugenicist who played a significant role in promoting eugenics policies and population control programs during the early to mid-20th century. As an heir to the Procter & Gamble fortune, he used his wealth to fund various eugenics organizations and research initiatives. Gamble was particularly interested in implementing eugenics programs in developing countries, including India. He advocated for sterilization and birth control methods as means to control population growth among what he considered “inferior“ populations. His work reflected the troubling racial and class biases prevalent in the eugenics movement of his time. In India, Gamble supported family planning initiatives and research on contraceptive methods. He established field trials for various birth control techniques and funded clinics that provided family planning services. However, his approach was criticized for being paternalistic and for imposing Western population control ideologies without adequate consideration of local cultural contexts and individual rights. The legacy of Clarence Gamble\“s eugenics work remains controversial today, as it represents a dark chapter in the history of public health and population control that prioritized selective breeding and population management over human rights and dignity.