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Show 103 of Malthus, announced at the end of the eighteenth century-that is, when the newly-born socialism began to menace the economic tranquility of the bourgeoisie-has been later deprived of credit. Marx, Fourier, Proudhon, Engels and Kautsky proved its inconsistency; and later the historic facts themselves confirmed that inconsistency; notwithstanding the fact that the growth of the population in the nineteenth century seemed to uphold the theory ("The population of the world grows in geometric progress, whereas its foodstuffs do so only in arithmetic progression"). Today, fortunately other voices are heard in opposition to those terrifying and negative ideas: Emre Ferenczi, the demographer, and W. R. Aykroyd, who as Director of the Nutrition Section of the F.A.O., affirms, "The ghost raised by Malthus has been overthrown in Western Civilization." With regard to Josue de Castro, he must be considered almost a pioneer in this field which lends itself so much to high-pitched discussion, for his praiseworthy effort to study this important subject from a scientific and objective viewpoint, and not a political or partial one. 1950 Behrendt, Richard F. (Estados Unidos), "Factores que Afectan el Actual Estado Economico de los Indios en Latinoamerica," America Indigena, X No. 2 (July, 1950), Mexico, D.F., pp. 195-214. English Summary: The present economic status of Indians in Latin America can be summarized roughly under six broad categories: 1) indios salvajes, living in practical isolation, in a few regions; 2) tribal sedentary Indians, virtually self-sufficient; 3) small, independent producers, incorporated into the market economy, but suffering from soil erosion, backward production and marketing methods, and lack of agricultural credit; 4) Indian tied to traditional latifundios; 5) Indians working on partly mechanized plantations, exposed to modern social and political influences; and 6) Indians working in mines. For the first time since the conquest, the conditions of the Indians* economic and social existence are undergoing truly significant changes, through 1) land tenure reforms, 2) resettlement in regions now being opened by new highways and other means of transportation, 3) industrialization, and 4) labor organizations. Improvements in education, public health, nutrition, etc. are being introduced in regions where modern influences are strong, not so much because of ideological trends but owing to the requirements of modern, efficient production methods. |