Putting genetics in perspective

doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7293.1005

From trainee to consultant, BMJ Group offers doctors around the world tailored information, special events, learning resources and recruitment services at every step along their career path.

... by doctors, for doctors, for patients
We are open for entries!

Online learning

BMJ Learning

High-quality CME / CPD for doctors and other healthcare professionals. BMJ Learning features hundreds of accredited, peer-reviewed learning modules in text, video, and audio formats. Find out more

Courses and Qualifications

BMJ Masterclasses

BMJ Masterclasses, led by experts, help clinicians to use the latest evidence and recent guidelines in practice and meet their CPD/CME requirements. Find out more

Exam Preparation

The leading provider of online exam preparation, helping over 167,000 healthcare professionals to pass their exams. Find out more

onExamination

Search all BMJ comment articles:

From

Limit by

Our online table of contents is updated at least twice each day. Read all articles published in the last 7 days.
Keep up to date with cardiology: Access the latest cardiovascular medicine resources from across BMJ Group.
The BMJ iPad app brings you the best of print and online, including live links to the latest news, blogs, video, and podcasts. Get the BMJ iPad app.
OPEN ACCESS: All research articles are freely available online, with no word limit. Find out more about the BMJ's open access policy. Submit your paper.
Countdown to London 2012: BMJ Group's Olympics portal highlights latest Olympics and sports medicine-themed research, comment and learning

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

Requires better understanding and more rational debate

Ron Zimmern, director (ronz@srl.cam.ac.uk),
Jon Emery, clinical lecturer (jde10@medschl.cam.ac.uk),
Tessa Richards, associate editor (trichards@bmj.com)

Public Health Genetics Unit, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge CB1 8RN
General Practice and Primary Care Research Unit, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge CB2 2SR
BMJ

How will genetics affect society? Is it a science without clear application, or will it bring important health gains? Should we be hugely excited about its potential or worry about the ethical dilemmas it poses? Unquestionably views are polarised, 1 2 as this special issue of the BMJ reflects.

The impact on health and health care of the sequencing of the human genome has been well rehearsed.3 Our understanding and categorisation of disease will be enhanced. Drug therapy may become safer and more effective as treatments are tailored to take account of individual responses to drugs. Genetic tests will increasingly be used to predict the risk of disease and initiate preventive action. Drug development will become faster and more efficient.

Yet hidden among these simple statements lurks great complexity. Extrapolating from single gene disorders such as Huntington's disease to predict how genetics might affect future health care will mislead. In this disorder the detection of an abnormal variant or mutation in the …