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Ernst RĂ¼din's, 1911 vision of a Mendelian psychiatric genetics research program: His paper "Methods and goals of family research in psychiatry".

Authors :
Kendler KS
Source :
American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics [Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet] 2021 Jul; Vol. 186 (5), pp. 279-288. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Aug 20.
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

While working under Kraepelin in Munich, Ernst Rüdin, a Swiss-born Psychiatrist, at the age of 26, outlined in a 1911 98-page article, a detailed plan for a future Mendelian-informed family research program for psychiatry. Rüdin would go on to head the Department of Genealogical and Demographic Studies at Kraepelin's Research Institute which became one of the world's leading programs in psychiatric genetics. I here summarize this article, providing a complete translation online. Rüdin's review outlined a paradigm shift in psychiatric genetics research moving from calculations of aggregate hereditary burden, as they applied to the proband, to examining patterns of transmission within family pedigrees which involved careful individual assessments of relatives. He references widely clinical and statistical genetic studies, many focusing on the newly discovered Mendelian laws. However, Rüdin was no genetic reductionist but recognized the contribution of environmental risk factors to psychiatric illness arguing that they should be studied as part of a comprehensive research program. As a committed eugenicist, Rüdin also explored the implications of such a program for "racial hygiene." Rüdin's contributions should be viewed in the context of his extensive collaboration from 1933 to 1945 with the National Socialists and his support for their eugenics program, including involuntary sterilizations.<br /> (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1552-485X
Volume :
186
Issue :
5
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
34415100
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.b.32870