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Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales is the property of Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal History of Latin American Education / Revista Historia de la Educación Latinoamericana is the property of Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The noun "heredity", in its biological sense, first circulated in France during the 1830s. During that century, heredity was linked to the pessimistic notion of degeneration, the control of which became a tool for the academic and political projects of French physicians to be included in those of the Nation. Something similar occurred in Mexico. After two generations of late 19th and early 20th centuries physicians, which incorporated the manipulation of heredity into their projects and questioned, just as their French colleagues, consanguineous marriages, medical supervision of every union -consanguineous or not- became compulsory within the civil marriage regulations, coinciding with the institutionalization of the Mexican eugenic movement. Even if they had moved from Europe to Mexico, notions of heredity, degeneration, consanguinity and eugenics were adjusted and justified according to the local situation and prevailing values of the Mexican society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]