The European Society
of Human Genetics

News details

Report on ESHG Course: 8th Workshop on the History of Human Genetics

This course explored the history of eugenics, tracing its origins to Francis Galton and its connection with Berlin's Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institute. The symposium focused on the period before and after 1945, examining global eugenics and the often overlooked contributions of female scientists in human genetics. Their challenges in gaining recognition were highlighted, alongside ethical questions integrated into the discussion.

The “8th Workshop on the History of Human Genetics” took place on May 30 to 31 directly ahead of the ESHG Conference 2024 in Berlin. The last time the community gathered, was in Copenhagen in 2017, when the ESHG celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is always a pleasure to meet international scientists interested in the history of human genetics. 64 Participants registered upfront, 56 could eventually attend. The speakers came from 14 different countries.

Talks on “History of Eugenics” were held by H. Petermann, S. Doetz and M. Krischel (all from Germany), and R. Noguero Solano from Mexico. Talks on “Women in the History of Human Genetics” were presented by C. Soares Azevedo (PT) and MJ Santemases (ES). “The Evolution of Techniques in Human Genetics” was a topic at the workshop for the first time and we enjoyed the  talk from T. Liehr (DE), V Maran (FR) and Nicole Fleischer (US). L. Alex (DE), M. Björkman (SE) and M. Parafenenco (RU). G. de Wert (NL), S. Zuckerman (IL), E. Baranova (RU) and N. Olivea-Teles (PT) contributed to the topic “Ethical questions in Human Genetics”. The abstracts will be published with the abstract collection of the European Conference of ESHG.

The final session of the workshop on “Human Genetics after 1945 in Berlin” was introduced by E. Schröck (DE) president of the German Society, and S. Mundlos (DE) and included a highlight talk by R. Witkowski (DE).

The workshop was concluded with a walk through the historic premises of the Berlin University in Berlin-Dahlem, where the research in human heredity in Germany was made during the 1930s. An introduction was given by J.P. Fürste of the Institute of Biochemistry.

In the evening, the participants met for dinner in the Harnack-Haus on a historical university site. 41 people enjoyed the networking after a busy day. Our thanks go out to all who participated, we look forward to seeing you again at the next workshop! We would also like to thank the ESHG for making this workshop possible.

Dr. Heike Petermann (Contact: heike.petermann(at)uni-muenster.de)

News