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Lionel Penrose
Geneticist

Lionel Penrose

Famoose for

Investigating the genetics of intellectual disability.

Colchester Survey · The Biology of Mental Defect

Born
11 June 1898
Birthplace
London
Died
12 May 1972

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Lionel Penrose

Lionel Penrose was an English physician and geneticist whose research examined inherited and chromosomal causes of disability.

Early life

Education

Studied at Cambridge and Vienna before qualifying in medicine at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Career

  1. 1930s

    Genetic research

    Investigated phenylketonuria and intellectual disability.

  2. 1939–1945

    Ontario

    Directed psychiatric research in Canada.

  3. 1945–1965

    University College London

    Held the Galton chair.

Contributions

Colchester Survey

Published a clinical and genetic study of 1,280 cases.

The Biology of Mental Defect

Synthesised his research in a book.

Beyond work

Conscientious objection

Served with the Friends’ Ambulance Unit during the First World War.

Academic terminology

Requested changing his professorial title from eugenics to human genetics.

Sources & photo creditBiography and career ↗Biographical references ↗

Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.

Photo: Godfrey Argent. Source credit retained; reuse licence not established · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.