Longitudinal studies of family units

In this paper the transmission of illness and illness behaviour from grandparents to their children and grandchildren is discussed. Maternal grandmothers are found to have most influence. Some prediction of the frequency of new periods of illness among the grandchildren was possible by making use of the number of nervous disorders of the grandparents for which medical help was requested. As family doctors, general practitioners are in a favourable position to anticipate and try to prevent the transmission of inadequate illness behaviour from generation to generation.