The study of or theories about hereditary degeneration and the causes of defective development in organisms.
From cacogenic with the suffix -ics, forming a noun referring to the field of study. It parallels 'eugenics' but focuses on what causes bad rather than good heredity.
This word was used mainly in the early 20th century before scientists realized it had no real scientific basis—it's a cautionary tale about inventing fields of study based on bad assumptions.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.