Long before gene-editing tools like CRISPR/Cas or molecular diagnostic methods became part of everyday medical practice, researchers at Swiss universities laid the groundwork for our current understanding of heredity. Who were these pioneers, and what drove them?
Prof. em. Hansjakob Müller explores these questions in his newly published book, Schweizer Pioniere der Genetik (Swiss Pioneers of Genetics). The professor emeritus of Medical Genetics at the University of Basel, who headed the Department of Medical Genetics at the University Children’s Hospital of Both Basel (UKBB) for many years, profiles nearly 40 figures from the worlds of science and medicine. Each profile highlights not only the scientific contributions of the individual in question but also their personal background. He makes clear the conditions under which groundbreaking discoveries emerge.
The book does not limit itself to success stories. Müller also addresses a difficult chapter: eugenic measures in Switzerland during the two world wars. This critical examination makes the work more than a collection of biographies—it is also a reflection on the social responsibility of science.
The portraits are supplemented by an overview of Switzerland’s genetic expert committees and their activities. The texts are deliberately written in an accessible style and are aimed at both experts and interested lay readers. Illustrations break up the text and help to illustrate complex concepts.
Hans-Jakob Müller has been associated with the Gen Suisse network for years, first as a member of the Foundation Board and now as a member of the Patronage Committee. His book is a valuable contribution to the history of genetics and highlights the extent to which the foundations upon which modern genetics is built today are rooted in the Swiss spirit of research.
Hansjakob Müller: Schweizer Pioniere der Genetik. ISBN 978-3-7245-2868-5; available at reinhardt and ex libris.
