Molecularization, geneticization, and reference centers: the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry of Barcelona (1969-1980)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30827/dynamis.v42i2.27714

Keywords:

molecularization, rare diseases, reference centers, diagnostic itineraries, cytogenetics

Abstract

Taken together, the molecularization and geneticization of biomedicine during the 20th century produced a long list of diseases, mostly rare, with very specific needs, a high dependence on the laboratory, and substantial difficulties in the creation of experts. These phenomena led to major changes in healthcare networks and diagnostic circuits. One of the most significant was the creation of centers of reference to concentrate human and material resources for low-prevalence diseases. Based on a study of the “Fundación Juan March” Institute of Clinical Biochemistry in Barcelona, this article addresses the emergence of those new spaces during late Francoism in Spain. Pharmacists, pediatricians, politicians, and healthcare managers, with their different interests, appear as actors involved in forging an institute that in a few years became a national reference center for lysosomal storage diseases. The paper reveals the importance of social sensitivity towards intellectual disability as driving force of (and excuse for) the initiative, the role of philanthropic foundations, and the influence of North American science in the whole process through trips abroad by Spanish scientists.

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Published

2022-12-31

How to Cite

Velasco Morgado, R. (2022). Molecularization, geneticization, and reference centers: the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry of Barcelona (1969-1980). Dynamis, 42(2), 371–396. https://doi.org/10.30827/dynamis.v42i2.27714

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