Andreas Rett (January 2, 1924 – April 25, 1997) was an Austrian

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

and author. He is famous for his research on

neurodevelopmental disorder Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of disorders that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function which may affect emotion, learning ability, self-control, and memory. The effects of neurodevelopmental ...

s, particularly for his description of

Rett syndrome Rett syndrome (RTT) is a genetic disorder that typically becomes apparent after 6–18 months of age and almost exclusively in females. Symptoms include impairments in language and coordination, and repetitive movements. Those affected often h ...

, which was named after him, and for pioneering treatment based on the belief that disabled children also have a right to fulfillment of their physical, emotional, and psychological needs. He received many awards, including the

Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (german: Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the A ...

Biography

Rett was born in

Fürth Fürth (; East Franconian: ; yi, פיורדא, Fiurda) is a city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the t ...

, Germany and went to school in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, Austria. His father owned a cleaning services company and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, but Andreas Rett instead chose to study medicine, resulting in his father disinheriting him. He graduated as a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

in 1949. He then trained in paediatrics, and in 1955 he was appointed head of the facility for children with

Down Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

at a home for the aged in Lainz, Vienna. In 1963 he built up a factory, in which neurologically sick youngsters could work. His belief was that disabled children also do have a right to fulfillment of their physical, emotional, and psychological needs. Rett's academic career began in 1967, when he was appointed as lecturer in neurology and pediatrics at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

, in 1973 being promoted to the rank of associate professor. In 1966 he published the first description of

. From 1967 he was also head of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research in Brain Disordered Children. He has published more than 250 articles.

Membership in Nazi Party

After Rett's death, he received criticism for having been listed as a member of the Hitler Jugend and the Nazi Party as a child and young adult. Andreas Rett was nine years old when the Nazis came to power in Germany and 21 years old at the time of the regime's demise. In recent years he has also been criticized for using research data derived from the Nazi program of

Action T4 (German, ) was a campaign of mass murder by involuntary euthanasia in Nazi Germany. The term was first used in post-war trials against doctors who had been involved in the killings. The name T4 is an abbreviation of 4, a street address of ...

, which was the name given to the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of people, including of children, under the guise of medical

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

. Although there is no evidence Rett was directly involved in Action T4, his membership in the Nazi party is notable given that other wartime figures whose history has come under re-examination, such as Austrian physician

Hans Asperger Johann Friedrich Karl Asperger (, ; 18 February 1906 – 21 October 1980) was an Austrian psychiatrist. He is remembered for his pioneering studies of autism, specifically in children. His name was given to Asperger syndrome, a form of autism ...

, never joined the party.

Decorations and awards

* 1958: Karl Renner Prize * 1976:

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian D ...

* 1982: Paracelsus Ring of Villach * 1988: City of Vienna Prize for Medical Sciences * 1989:

* 2002: Andreas Rett Park in

Hietzing Hietzing () is the 13th municipal District of Vienna (german: 13. Bezirk, Hietzing). It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling. Hietzing is a heavily populated urban area with many residential buildings, but also contains lar ...

(Vienna)

References

External links

Andreas Rett by whonamedit.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rett, Andreas 1924 births 1997 deaths People from Fürth Austrian neurologists Austrian male writers Austrian medical writers University of Innsbruck alumni Academics of the University of Vienna Austrian Nazis Aktion T4 Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class Recipients of the Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria 20th-century Austrian physicians Nazi Party members