Early Research on Human Genetics Using the Twin Method: Who Really Invented the Method?

Abstract

The twin method consists of a formal comparison between the resemblance between identical (monozygotic, MZ) twins and the resemblance between fraternal (dizygotic, DZ) twins for some trait of interest. It was developed between 1900 and about 1940, as more accurate tools for diagnosis of zygosity and for statistically analyzing the resemblance between relatives were built. Its early use was in the demonstration that a trait was inherited or that part of the causation of a trait was genetical, but it has now evolved to the point that twin registries constitute an important resource for the identification of specific genes and their interactions both with other genes and with the internal and external environment. Who really invented the method is still an unsettled question, which this article explores.

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