Degeneration under the microscope at the fin de siècle

Area of Science:

• Medical History
• Neuroscience
• Social History

Background:

• Historical studies explored social and moral degeneration theories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Nerve degeneration was concurrently studied in laboratory and post-mortem settings.
• Scholarly links between these two fields of degeneration studies remain underexplored.

Observation:

• This paper investigates the concept of Wallerian degeneration.
• It examines how laboratory scientists, clinicians, and social theorists utilized the term 'degeneration'.
• The study highlights the frequent overlap between these distinct discourses.

Findings:

• The term 'degeneration' was broadly applied across scientific and social contexts during the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
• Wallerian degeneration, a specific neurological process, was part of a larger, pervasive concept of degeneration.
• Discourses on biological and social degeneration were interconnected, reflecting a shared conceptual framework.

Implications:

• This research bridges the gap between the history of medicine and the history of social thought.
• It reveals the ubiquity of degeneration as a concept in Victorian and Edwardian science and society.
• Understanding these interconnected discourses offers new insights into the period's scientific and cultural landscape.