The medicalization of cousin marriage in the 19th Century: historical and philosophical approaches

espanolAunque el incesto (es decir, el sexo entre hermanos o entre padres e hijos) es universalmente aborrecido (a partir del efecto Westermarck), el matrimonio entre primos (uniones consanguineas) solo es rechazado por algunas culturas. Aunque en algunos paises occidentales existe una amplia legislacion contra el matrimonio entre primos, historicamente no siempre ha sido asi. Las actitudes negativas hacia el matrimonio entre primos en Occidente en realidad tienen una larga historia, y factores no medicos (religion, politica, economia, demografia) han jugado un papel en este sentido. Sin embargo, a mediados del siglo XIX, la posicion en contra del matrimonio entre primos fue medicalizada. A pesar de que los estudios medicos han demostrado que el matrimonio entre primos no es particularmente peligroso, persisten las actitudes negativas hacia este tipo de practica matrimonial. En este estudio, se aborda esta problematica historica y filosoficamente. EnglishAlthough incest (i.e., sex between siblings or between parents and offspring) is universally abhorred (per the Westermarck effect), cousin marriage (consanguineous unions) is only rejected by some cultures. Although in some Western countries, and especially in the United States, there is extensive legislation against cousin marriage, this has not always been historically the case. The negative attitudes towards cousin marriage in the West actually have a long history, and non-medical factors (religion, politics, economics, demography) have played a role in this regard. However, by the mid-19th Century, the stand against cousin marriage was medicalized. Even though ultimately medical studies have proven that cousin marriage is not particularly dangerous, negative attitudes towards it persist. This article approaches this problem from a historical and philosophical perspective.