Abstract
Charles Darwin's lifetime illness with its many disabling symptoms may be explained by an inherited pathological mtDNA mutation. Although such a diagnosis explains Darwin's illness and the strange illnesses that afflicted his Wedgwood maternal forebears, it does not explain the illnesses that affected Darwin's children. The sicknesses of the children were very different from those of the father and also different from each other. Although not directly inherited from their father, these illnesses may have been due, at least in part, to inbreeding since they were the inbred progeny from a consanguineous couple (Darwin and his wife were first cousins), a condition known to enhance susceptibility to recessive genetic disorders and infectious diseases. Darwin's inherited illness may be traced back through three, perhaps four maternal generations. Consanguinity was present in the marriage of Darwin's maternal grandparents, but the purported mitochondrial mutation appears to have been present prior to this union. The origin of any mutation appears lost in the mist of unrecorded history.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 458-468 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |
| Volume | 121 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Feb 2017 |
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The illnesses of Charles Darwin and his children : A lesson in consanguinity. / Fls, John Hayman; Alvarez, Gonzalo; Ceballos, Francisco C.; Berra, Tim.
In: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol. 121, No. 2, 21.02.2017, p. 458-468.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - The illnesses of Charles Darwin and his children
T2 - A lesson in consanguinity
AU - Fls, John Hayman
AU - Alvarez, Gonzalo
AU - Ceballos, Francisco C.
AU - Berra, Tim
PY - 2017/2/21
Y1 - 2017/2/21
N2 - Charles Darwin's lifetime illness with its many disabling symptoms may be explained by an inherited pathological mtDNA mutation. Although such a diagnosis explains Darwin's illness and the strange illnesses that afflicted his Wedgwood maternal forebears, it does not explain the illnesses that affected Darwin's children. The sicknesses of the children were very different from those of the father and also different from each other. Although not directly inherited from their father, these illnesses may have been due, at least in part, to inbreeding since they were the inbred progeny from a consanguineous couple (Darwin and his wife were first cousins), a condition known to enhance susceptibility to recessive genetic disorders and infectious diseases. Darwin's inherited illness may be traced back through three, perhaps four maternal generations. Consanguinity was present in the marriage of Darwin's maternal grandparents, but the purported mitochondrial mutation appears to have been present prior to this union. The origin of any mutation appears lost in the mist of unrecorded history.
AB - Charles Darwin's lifetime illness with its many disabling symptoms may be explained by an inherited pathological mtDNA mutation. Although such a diagnosis explains Darwin's illness and the strange illnesses that afflicted his Wedgwood maternal forebears, it does not explain the illnesses that affected Darwin's children. The sicknesses of the children were very different from those of the father and also different from each other. Although not directly inherited from their father, these illnesses may have been due, at least in part, to inbreeding since they were the inbred progeny from a consanguineous couple (Darwin and his wife were first cousins), a condition known to enhance susceptibility to recessive genetic disorders and infectious diseases. Darwin's inherited illness may be traced back through three, perhaps four maternal generations. Consanguinity was present in the marriage of Darwin's maternal grandparents, but the purported mitochondrial mutation appears to have been present prior to this union. The origin of any mutation appears lost in the mist of unrecorded history.
KW - Charles Darwin
KW - Cyclic vomiting
KW - Inbreeding-consanguinity
KW - MELAS
KW - Mitochondria
KW - MtDNA mutation
KW - Somatization disorder
KW - Tourette syndrome
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85052202299&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/biolinnean/blw041
DO - 10.1093/biolinnean/blw041
M3 - Article
VL - 121
SP - 458
EP - 468
JO - Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
JF - Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
SN - 0024-4066
IS - 2
ER -