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Evolution of Eugenics: a Review Through History and the Role Of ReviewArticle IndianJournalofGeneticsandMolecularResearch Volume8Number2,July-December2019 DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.21088/ijgmr.2319.4782.8219.4 EvolutionofEugenics:AReviewThrough HistoryandtheRoleofEthicalBoundariesToday SoundaryalahariRavinutala1,VenkatachalamDeepaParvathi2 Howtocitethisarticle: SoundaryalahariRavinutala,VenkatachalamDeepaParvathi.EvolutionofEugenics:AReviewThroughHistoryandtheRole ofEthicalBoundariesToday.IndianJGenetMolRes.2019;8(2):87-91. Abstract etc. Although a revolutionary idea, history holds evidences of how science can turn people blind Today,whentechnologyisopeningdoorsthatwe if ethics don’t come into play. History may have didn’tknow existed,itisimportanttoenforcelaws instilledastigmaagainstanypracticeassociatedwith toensurethateverynovelidealeadstothewelfare thewordgenetic,butunderstandinghistoryandthe of the society andnot causeharm in any way. The emphasisofethicstodaycanhelpinovercomingthat. discovery of Eugenics came as a revolution where Geneticcounsellingisonesuchfieldwherenegative the idea of improving the quality of inheritance in eugenicscantakeoverandgivedeleteriouspowers humans has aided in the development of various tothephysicians,whichreiteratestheimportanceof Assistant reproductive techniques, cytogenetic ethicalinterference. and molecular diagnostic methods, gene testing Keywords:Eugenics;Ethics;GeneticCounselling. Introduction theprogenylinecouldbeofahigherqualitywith only “desirable” genes. This systemic effort of Eugenics originated asa philosophy attributed to minimisingthetransmissionofcertainundesirable the social cause of improving the quality of the genes was termed asnegative eugenics while the human race by bearing healthier offsprings. The effort to increase the chances of inheritance of word eugenics is derived from the Greek word the desirable genes was called positive eugenics. “eu”whichmeansgoodorwelland“genos”which (Garver.K,1991)Althoughtheideaofimproving means born. (Garver.B,1991) Thewordeugenics thequalityofhumanracecameasarevolutionary was coined by Francis Galton, in 1883. Eugenics idea, history holds evidences of how science can can be justied as a branch of science because of turnpeopleblindifethicsdon’tcomeintoplay. hiseffortsatformulatingitsfundamentalelements. Breeding oflivestockforsuperior qualityofmeat History orplantsforbetteryieldofcrophadlongbeenin practicebeforethetermeugenicshadcometoplay. The idea of eugenics was to apply that in terms EugenicsinIndia of human population as well. By minimising or maximisingthechancesofinheritingcertaingenes, TheideaofselectivebreedingexistedinIndialong Author’s Afliation: 1PG Student, 2Assistant Professor, Department of HumanGenetics, Sri Ramachandra Institute ofHigher EducationandResearch,Chennai,TamilNadu600116,India. CorrespondingAuthor:VenkatachalamDeepaParvathi,AssistantProfessor,DepartmentofHumanGenetics,SriRamachandra InstituteofHigherEducationandResearch,Chennai,TamilNadu600116,India. E-mail:[email protected] Receivedon22.07.2019;Acceptedon26.08.2019 ©RedFlowerPublicationPvt.Ltd. 88 SoundaryalahariRavinutala,VenkatachalamDeepaParvathi/EvolutionofEugenics: AReviewThroughHistoryandtheRoleofEthicalBoundariesToday. before the westerners had discovered eugenics. undesirabletraitsseemedfairlyjustied,thetraits The concept of caste system basically evolved thattheEROwasafterwerefarfromhavingagenetic out of the idea that people of the same calibre basis.Physicaldisability,criminality, prostitution, and profession bred to birth improved progeny. destitution,alcoholism,variousmentaldisabilities (T.N.Roy,1927)Thestringentruleswhenitcame were considered as some of the traits that were to abstaining from inter caste marriage was due considered tomake the humanuntfor survival. to the fear of toppling the purity of the lineage. (Kevles D. J, 1999; T.N. Roy, 1927) For the next Nevertheless,thispracticewasbornoutofreligious severalyears,theEROscreenedthepopulationfor inuence and various social obligations and thevariousundesirabletraitsandstrivedtoprove not backed by any science. (T.N. Roy, 1927) The thatthesecomplextraitswereinfactinuencedby prevalenceofconsanguineousmarriagesalsowas singlegenesandexhibitedaMendelianinheritance theresultofthispractice.Eventothisday,Hindu pattern.Astheeugenicistsgainedpublicsupport, families prefer same caste marriages, although it the sterilization law was passed which sterilized hasmoresotodowiththeongoingsocialobligation over60,000Americans.Theyevenpassedstringent thantheunderstandingofsciencebehindit. immigration laws which prohibited immigrants from entering their country. The movement Originofeugenics slowlydieddownbythe1930s.(KevlesD.J,1999; Norrgard.K,2008). Sir Francis Galton, Charles Darwin’s cousin was inuenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution. It was only then that the eugenics movement As more and more people began to support waspickingupinGermany.It started offfor the Darwin’sideaofevolvingthesociety,whichisnow future of Germany since the concept of social known as social Darwinism, and the increasing Darwinism brought out concern in the minds of awareness of Mendel’s laws ofinheritancepaved Germansthatthesociallyelitewhowereso-called way for Galton to back his theory of selective superiorinracewereawayinwarwhiletheunt breedingtoimprovethehumanracewithscientic classproducedmoreuntoffsprings.Althoughit evidence. Coupling Mendelism with human startedoffinthenameofnationality,itsoonbecame breeding reiterated the notion that humans were a movement against race. The blacks, Jews and determinedsolelybythegenes,andtheinuenceof eastern Europeans were consideredasan inferior otherenvironmentalfactorswasfrivolous.(Garver. race,andtheeugeniciststookuponthemselvesthe K,1991;T.N.Roy,1927) job of racehygiene. They made associations with the ofcials which gave them power to exercise their ideas freely. They took extreme measures NegativeeugenicsinUnitedStatesandGermany suchasannullingallthemixedmarriagesintheir Soon,thewaveofeugenicsspreadacrossEngland, colony in southwest Africa and forbidding civil most of Western Europe and North America. rights to those involved in any. They collected The movement gained larger momentum in the hereditary data from all themental hospitals and North America which was headed by Charles institutions and falsely used the information in Davenport. In an effort to apply Mendelian exterminations.OncetheNazisascendedtopower, principles to human population by selectively the then scientically backed eugenic movement breeding the “undesirable” traits out, Davenport became a socio- political movement aimed at established the Eugenics Record Ofce (ERO) in differentiatingtheunworthyracesfromtheworthy 1910,whichwouldoverlookthegoalsofeugenics. Aryanancestry.Inthenameofracehygienemany (Garver.K,1991;VizcarrondoF.E,2014;Yuehtsen programsweresetintomotionsuchaseuthanasia, Juliette Chung, 2014) By studying large family involuntarysterilizationandgenocidewhichlead pedigreesofpeoplewhocarriedcertainundesirable totheinfamous holocaustwheremillions ofJews traits, inheritance patterns can be identied. werekilled.Afterthoseghastlyevents,thejudiciary Since their goal was to improve the quality of had come to a realization that strict laws were individuals, a scientic evidence as such would necessary to overlook research involving human help in justifying government policies suggesting lives.(Norrgard.K,2008). involuntary sterilization or institutionalization. (Garver. K, 1991; Kevles D. J, 1999; Norrgard, K, Eugenicstoday 2008) The movement gained immense popularity whichsoonbecameapublichealthconcernwhich The scientic world is no way oblivious to the wasbackedbynotonlyscientists,butalsodoctors inexcusableeventsinthenameofsciencethathad and lawyers. Although the idea of eliminating violated not only the individual rights of people IndianJournalofGeneticsandMolecularResearch/Volume8Number2/July-December2019 SoundaryalahariRavinutala,VenkatachalamDeepaParvathi/EvolutionofEugenics: 89 AReviewThroughHistoryandtheRoleofEthicalBoundariesToday. but also cost millions of lives. So does this mean community. It provides great understanding of thateugenicswasabanetomankind?Theeugenics the differentiation and development that occurs movement started off as a utilitarian discovery inhumansandalsopaves wayfortreatmentsfor but the lack of ethical boundaries opened the diseasessuchasdiabetes,Parkinson’sdiseaseand Pandora’s Box of catastrophe. History teaches us evencardiacdiseases.Thebiggestconcernthatstill theimportanceofethicallawstooverlookscientic remainsunansweredisabouttheembryonicrights. progress. The fundamental interest of both Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer is a reproductive biologicalsciencesandethicsliesinhumannature. cloning technique where DNA is introduced into Whilescienticstudiesstrivetowardsndingthe an oocyte whose nucleus is removed. Although basis of human life and ways to better it, ethics reproductivecloningremainsprevalentinanimals, undertakesthedutytomonitorwhatis rightand it is still not feasible for human applications justforthehumanity.Theideaofeugenicswasthe as there is no complete understanding of the improvementofhereditaryqualitiesofthehuman mutationsthatsomaticcellsmightstorewhichcan race, which when practiced lawfully benets leadtoevolutionaryharmtothehumanrace.The the society. Today, eugenics is being applied use of Foetal stem cells in research also remains invariouselds. controversial, although it is permitted only after the abortion ofpregnancyisdecided. The advent of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) where Eugenicsingenetherapy somatic
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