geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes ...
University of Basel
The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...
in 1934. After graduating, he worked at the Rheinau Psychiatric Clinic, Zurich. He moved to
Adolphe Franceschetti
Adolphe Franceschetti (11 October 1896, in Zürich – 3 March 1968, in Geneva) was a Swiss ophthalmologist.
He studied medicine at the University of Zürich, where he also spent several years as an assistant in its ophthalmological clinic. A ...
at the ophthalmological clinic. In 1970 he was appointed full professor. He retired in 1978 with the status of professor emeritus. After retirement, he was active as consultant in
human genetics
Human genetics is the study of inheritance as it occurs in human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, population gene ...
at the ophthalmological clinic, Geneva, and the school of amblyopic and blind children in
Baar, Switzerland
Baar () is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.
History
Baar is first mentioned in 1045 as ''Barra''.
Geography
Baar has an area, , of . Of this area, 51% is used for agricultural purposes, while 25% is forested. Of the rest ...
.
Klein made important contributions towards the understanding of
Waardenburg syndrome
Waardenburg syndrome is a group of rare genetic conditions characterised by at least some degree of congenital hearing loss and pigmentation deficiencies, which can include bright blue eyes (or one blue eye and one brown eye), a white foreloc ...
, or more fully, the "van der Hoeve-Halbertsma-Waardenburg-Klein syndrome". In August 1947 Klein presented a deaf mute child, who was 10 years of age, and had partial
albinism
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino.
Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
of the hair and body, blue
hypoplastic
Hypoplasia (from Ancient Greek :wikt:ὑπό, ὑπo- ''hypo-'' 'under' + πλάσις ''plasis'' 'formation'; adjective form ''hypoplastic'') is underdevelopment or incomplete development of a tissue or organ.irides,
blepharophimosis
Blepharophimosis is a congenital anomaly in which the eyelids are underdeveloped such that they cannot open as far as usual and permanently cover part of the eyes. Both the vertical and horizontal palpebral fissures (eyelid openings) are shortene ...
and malformation of arms, to the Swiss Society of Genetics, and gave a full report of his findings in 1950.