The Troubled Helix

The availability of increasingly sophisticated information on our genetic makeup presents individuals, and society as a whole, with difficult decisions. Although it is hoped that these advances will ultimately lead the way to the effective treatment and screening of all diseases with a genetic component, at present many individuals agonize over the knowledge that they have or will develop an incurable genetic disease. This book explores and surveys these issues from a variety of perspectives: from personal accounts of individuals coping with the threat of genetic disease, to those of clinicians and scientists, and those concerned with the psychosocial, legal and ethical aspects.