The Society for Biodemography and Social Biology,
formerly known as the Society for the Study
of Social Biology and before then as the American
Eugenics Society, is dedicated to "furthering
the discussion, advancement, and dissemination
of knowledge about biological and sociocultural
forces which affect the structure and composition
of human populations."
== 
History ==
The Society formed after the success of the
Second International Conference on Eugenics
(New York, 1921). The founders included Madison
Grant, Harry H. Laughlin, Irving Fisher, Henry
Fairfield Osborn, and Henry Crampton. The
organization started by promoting racial betterment,
eugenic health, and genetic education through
public lectures, exhibits at county fairs
etc. Under the direction of Frederick Osborn
the society started to place greater focus
on issues of population control, genetics,
and, later, medical genetics. In 1930, the
Society included mostly prominent and wealthy
individuals, and membership included many
non-scientists. The demographics of the Society
gradually changed, and by 1960, members of
the Society were almost exclusively scientist
and medical professionals. Consequentially,
the society focused more on genetics and less
on class-based eugenics.
After Roe v. Wade was released (1973), the
Society was reorganized and renamed The Society
for the Study of Social Biology. Osborn said,
"The name was changed because it became evident
that changes of a eugenic nature would be
made for reasons other than eugenics, and
that tying a eugenic label on them would more
often hinder than help their adoption. Birth
control and abortion are turning out to be
great eugenic advances of our time." The name
was most recently changed to Society for Biodemography
and Social Biology.
== Journal ==
The Society's official journal is Biodemography
and Social Biology, which was originally established
in 1954 as Eugenics Quarterly. It was renamed
to Social Biology in 1969 and to its current
title in 2008.
== List of presidents ==
Irving Fisher 1922–26 (Political Economy,
Yale University)
Roswell H. Johnson 1926–27 (Cold Spring
Harbor, Univ. of Pittsburgh)
Harry H. Laughlin 1927–29 (Eugenics Record
Office)
C. C. Little 1929 (Pres., University of Michigan)
Henry Pratt Fairchild 1929–31 (Sociology,
New York University)
Henry Farnham Perkins 1931–34 (Zoology,
University of Vermont)
Ellsworth Huntington 1934–38 (Geography,
Yale University)
Samuel Jackson Holmes 1938–40 (Zoology,
University of California)
Maurice Bigelow 1940–45 (Columbia University)
Frederick Osborn 1946–52 (Osborn-Dodge-Harriman
RR connection)
Harry L. Shapiro 1956–63 (American Museum
of Natural History)
Clyde V. Kiser 1964–68 (differential fertility,
Milbank Memorial Fund)
Dudley Kirk 1969–72 (Demographer, Stanford
University)
Bruce K. Eckland 1972–75 (Sociology, University
of North Carolina)
L. Erlenmeyer-Kimling 1976–78 (Genetic Psychiatry)
Gardner Lindzey 1979–81 (Center for Advanced
Study, Behavioral Sciences)
John L. Fuller 1982–83 (Behavioral genetics)
Michael Teitelbaum 1985–1990 (US Congress
staff; US population policy)
Robert Retherford 1991–1994 (East-West Institute,
Hawaii; funded by AID)
Joseph Lee Rodgers 1994, 1995 (family influences)
Current: Hans-Peter Kohler
== See also
