Ernst Rüdin

Ernst Rüdin (1874–1952) was a Swiss psychiatrist, geneticist, and eugenicist who directed the German Institute for Psychiatric Research in Munich from 1931 to 1945. He is widely regarded as a founder of psychiatric genetics, having pioneered statistical methods for studying the heritability of mental disorders such as schizophrenia. He is equally known for his role in designing and legitimizing Nazi eugenic sterilization and euthanasia policies, including co-authoring the commentary on the 1933 Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring.