William Emerton Heitland (1847–1935) was a well-known classical scholar and a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge. Originally published in 1924, this book presents two essays containing Heitland's thoughts on eugenics and the application of 'biological criticism' to sociological and political questions. Whilst much of the content is dubious in nature, the text provides an important document of its time. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in historical perspectives on eugenics and socio-political thought.