Genetics and Counseling in Medical Practice

Abstract

The authors want to provide a broad coverage of information that the family physician can use to help people seeking genetic advice. The book is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on medical genetics. The topics include clinical tools and a general approach to genetic counseling, probabilities, genes and birth defects, counseling in Down's syndrome, autosomal and sex chromosomal abnormalities, the sex-linked disorders, twins, heredity, and blood groups, the inborn errors, genetics and cancer, mental retardation, and future perspectives in genetic counseling. This is a valuable book, not only for family physicians but for a wide range of specialists, including human geneticists. Many books on genetic counseling have the major drawback that they are generally written without the personal human judgments that are, perhaps, just as valuable as probabilities. This book takes into consideration not only the patient, but the total family and social consequences of the patient who needs