ABSTRACT
Here we examine the origin of biochemical genetics in the earliest years of the twentieth century by Archibald Garrod (1857-1936) and the general study of Mendelian disorders in man. The brief but fruitful scientific relationship between Garrod and William Bateson (1861-1926)—who translated Mendel’s work and championed it in the English scientific world-stemmed from their common fascination with evolutionary biology. The product of this collaboration flourished beyond all expectations, and its scientific applications in medicine have had profound consequences for the concept of disease. Genetic research has risen as a dominant influence on the tenor and organisation of the universities and has had some effect on medical education; it continues to provoke much controversy in discussion about clinical teaching and practice and in the wider political scene. Bateson’s and Garrod’s discoveries have also had far-reaching effects on the understanding of human population genetics and developmental biology.
