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Even though French eugenics did not result in laws to control immigration and authorize sterilization on biological criteria, research shows that eugenics were just as abundant in France as elsewhere during the first half of the 20th century. This paper proposes to draw on these sources to focus on three themes : first, the eugenics movement in France, its organization and action, second, eugenic ideas and proposals elaborated to counter the supposed degeneration of the French population, and finally the relationship between these ideas and professional practice in medicine, psychiatry and social hygiene.