Genetic prophecy : beyond the double helix / Zsolt Harsanyi, Richard Hutton.

  • Harsanyi, Zsolt, 1944-
Date:
[1981], ©1981
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Genetic prophecy : beyond the double helix / Zsolt Harsanyi, Richard Hutton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Vhat The Double Helix was to its time, this )Ook is to ours. It is the first full report on the genetic revolution that is changing our lives ind the world we live in. jenetic prophecy makes use of those physical :haracteristics of genes—called genetic mark¬ ers—^that forecast physiological and emo- ional vulnerabilities, some of which can )ccur spontaneously and others only when riggered by special circumstances: for exam¬ ple, a urinary cancer that occurs in some peo¬ ple only when they live in a city, an anemia hat strikes some people when they drink :hlorinated water. Mew research has uncovered several thousand narkers, among them some that will tell »vhat the odds are for you to live longer . . . mccumb to arthritis or to certain chemicals in your workplace . . . respond to a particular :ancer cure ... or be predisposed to heart disease, lung cancer, leukemia, emphysema, diabetes, or obesity. Work is even being done Dn markers that may predict high I.Q.s. Ge- letic markers can also warn of a potential for kvhat have hitherto been regarded primarily IS behavioral or psychological problems, such IS depression, alcoholism, and other such manifestations. GJenetic prophecy will change the way disease is defined and doctors treat patients. The fac¬ tor of prediction will shift the emphasis from the usual visit to the doctor, motivated by an эп-going illness, to a world where we can be tested preventively beforehand and with guidance set up a regimen to protect our¬ selves. {continued on back flap)