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Objectives: Andreas Rett (1924–1997) is known by the syndrome that bears his name. But who was the person and what was his impact? Objective: To examine Rett's contribution to developmental-neurology, and medical ethics in post-Nazi Austria.
Methods: Oral and written information from Rett's daughter, colleagues, newspapers and publications.
Results: After medical studies in Innsbruck (1949) Rett trained in pediatrics in Vienna and Zurich. His first publications were on childhood epilepsy and autonomic dysregulation. He published (1964) a detailed description of benign familial neonatal seizures, now known to be caused by mutations in potassium ion-channel genes. Following his thesis on what is now 'Rett's syndrome' he was appointed to the Vienna University. Rett's interests included the social and medical welfare of people with developmental impairments. In 1956 he opened a rehabilitation facility for children with developmental disabilities, to which he moved children with 'hopeless' neurological conditions from asylums like the Steinhof (where the Nazi euthanasia program for children with disabilities had been conducted). He established sheltered work environments, advocated for people with mental retardation and learning disabilities, and explored treatments with music and other healing therapies. He counselled the government on disability issues and voiced his opinions on Nazi racial policies, therapeutic abortions and the sexuality of persons with disabilities.
Conclusion: Andreas Rett was not only an astute clinician-researcher who described novel pediatric-neurologic syndromes, but also an advocate and social reformer in post-Nazi Austria, fighting for the rights of children with developmental disabilities a time where there was little sympathy for these children from the medical establishment. His legacy should be celebrated and serve as a basic model for us all.