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This chapter explores the intersection between genetic research and ethical opposition to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) among post-war geneticists in the United Kingdom (UK). Focussing on the mutagenic effects of radiation and chemical exposure, it highlights how studies on Drosophila impacted growing concerns among members of the genetics discipline about the cross-generational impact of WMDs. The chapter examines the role of key historical actors, such as Lionel Penrose, John B. S. Haldane, and Charlotte Auerbach, in not only shaping research within the discipline of human genetics but also in opposing international nuclear weapons testing. It examines the nature of this resistance to WMDs based on genetics research in Parliamentary debates, the formation of the Genetical Society’s committee on radiation effects, and critiques of the Medical Research Council’s 1956 White Paper on nuclear hazards to human health. The chapter emphasises how post-war genetics research informed the ethical stance against WMDs, driven predominantly by concerns about the responsibilities towards the population health of future generations. It also examines the role of eugenics within these debates, and how opposition towards WMDs provides a lens to examine the post-war disciplinary shifts within genetics towards attempts to safeguard health across generations.

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‘Woe to You for Being a Grandchild’: Mutations and the Ethical Case Against WMDs Among Post-war British Geneticists

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • David Peace

摘要

This chapter explores the intersection between genetic research and ethical opposition to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) among post-war geneticists in the United Kingdom (UK). Focussing on the mutagenic effects of radiation and chemical exposure, it highlights how studies on Drosophila impacted growing concerns among members of the genetics discipline about the cross-generational impact of WMDs. The chapter examines the role of key historical actors, such as Lionel Penrose, John B. S. Haldane, and Charlotte Auerbach, in not only shaping research within the discipline of human genetics but also in opposing international nuclear weapons testing. It examines the nature of this resistance to WMDs based on genetics research in Parliamentary debates, the formation of the Genetical Society’s committee on radiation effects, and critiques of the Medical Research Council’s 1956 White Paper on nuclear hazards to human health. The chapter emphasises how post-war genetics research informed the ethical stance against WMDs, driven predominantly by concerns about the responsibilities towards the population health of future generations. It also examines the role of eugenics within these debates, and how opposition towards WMDs provides a lens to examine the post-war disciplinary shifts within genetics towards attempts to safeguard health across generations.