Schizophrenia as a genetic morphism

THE incidence of schizophrenia in most communities is of the order of 1 per cent. Yet the fertility of schizophrenic males is low, as noted by Huxley et al.1; and it has since been established that the fertility of schizophrenic females is low, too2. The second observation serves to strengthen the suggestion of Huxley et al. that the fertility of schizophrenics seems too low for the disorder to be maintained at its present rate by mutation alone. In explanation they noted the resistance of schizophrenics to surgical and wound shock, to visceral perforation, to high doses of histamine, insulin and thyroxine, and to pain. They noted also the possibility that schizophrenics may be resistant to diseases such as smallpox and bubonic plague which have occurred in widespread epidemics.