[Mental health among Norwegian immigrants to America. Ornulv Odegård's migration research in a historical perspective].

Norway has a past history as a country of emigration, and in these earlier days, medicine and psychiatry had to cope with the effects of migration. A review of the scientific literature shows much concern about the high prevalence of psychoses. However, many of the conclusions were based on oversimplified methodology. The interpretation of the findings was greatly influenced by the theories of degeneration and racial hygienics. The same way of thinking was found among some Norwegian psychiatrists. Odegård's study, Migration and Insanity, from 1932, was a big step forward in design and methodology. His findings are still highly relevant in migration research.