Hereditary
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
The article distinguishes hereditary properties from congenital ones, defining hereditary traits as those passed through germ plasma across generations, not necessarily in direct sequence. It also discusses pseudo-hereditary conditions, such as tuberculosis in children from tuberculous parents, which may result from exogenous infection rather than true inheritance.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
Hereditary (from Latin hereditarius - hereditary). The concept of H. should not be confused with the concept of congenital (see). Under H. one should understand only properties and characteristics transmitted through the germ plasma from generation to generation, though by no means necessarily in order of direct sequence (see Atavism). The presence in offspring of the same pathological properties as in parents in a number of cases turns out to be a phenomenon not truly hereditary, but pseudo-hereditary. Such are, for example, cases of tbc in children coming from tub. parents, where the matter concerns not even the congenital nature of the disease, but the exogenous origin of the illness (extra-uterine infection).
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Cite this page
“Hereditary.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/hereditary/