Scott Christianson writes that the “history of the gas chamber is a story of the twentieth century”. Its foundations, however, run back a few years—to the 1840’s, at least. Poisonous gasses were originally tested on animals (of course—isn’t that what animals are for?), and before long, they were being used to rid towns of unwanted animals. Gas, it was proclaimed, was the way to kill with “commendable humanity”. And so without hesitation, gas chambers were built to reduce the pet overpopulation problem. In one three week period, the SPCA of New York proudly announced that it had gassed a staggering 80,000 cats and dogs.
This method was neither commendable nor humane, but that will be saved for another discussion. The real illuminating story here is about people. It wasn’t long before folks started considering the gassing of humans. What humans? Criminals? Not exactly.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were an interesting time—Darwin’s Origin of Species gave rise to a ‘utopian’ movement known as Eugenics. With eugenics, one could envision a society free of degenerates and “unfit classes”. The novelist D.H Lawrence was very sympathetic to the lethal chamber and what it could accomplish: “three cheers for the inventors of poison gas. If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and a Cinematograph working brightly, and then I’d go out in back streets and main streets and bring them all in, all the sick…the maimed; I would lead them gently, and they would smile me a weary thanks.” This wasn’t an uncommon belief among intellectuals of the time, and the fact that they sincerely believed they were doing these “degenerates” a favor shows in the idea that these undesirables would be willing participants in their own elimination. People imagined a lethal chamber that would painlessly put an end to all of society's “burdens”: [the] “insane; swarms of black, brown, and dirty white, and yellow people…[they] have to go.” Asking the question which the Nazi’s ultimately answered in their “Final Solution”, people wanted to know “what shall be done”? One new York physician had an answer: “The surest, the simplest, the kindest, and most humane means for preventing reproduction among those whom we deem unworthy of this high privilege [of human reproduction], is a gentle, painless death.” While criminals were certainly considered part of this, in keeping with the predominate view of eugenics advocates, this category also included “the very weak…who fall into the hands of the state—idiots, imbeciles, most epileptics, insane or incorrigible criminals, and a few other classes.” Talk from gassing unwanted animals that burdened society moved, rather seamlessly, into talk about removing other “burdens on society”, namely, those that are sick, weak, handicap, mentally challenged, or simply the wrong color. Eugenics provided a nice underpinning for the second-class status that all non-whites and other “undesirables” found themselves relegated to. In a statement that would truly rattle those in the pro-life movement of today, one eugenicist wrote “mistaken regard for what are believed be divine laws and a sentimental belief in the sanctity of human life tend to prevent both the elimination of defective infants and the sterilization of such adults as are themselves of no value to the community.” It was additionally noted that the “laws of nature require the obliteration of the unfit”. The belief at that time was simply that “human life is valuable only when it is of use to the community or race”.
What an incredible foundation for euthanizing animals, criminals, and sadly, others who did not present an immediate or obvious worth to society.
*Please note, all quotes are taken from the book, The Last Gasp.
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