Doubled-edged Sword: The Promises And Risks Of The Genetics Revolution (Helix Books) - Hardcover

Drlica, Carl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0201408384 ISBN 13: 9780201408386

Publisher: Basic Books, 1994

Synopsis

A description of modern genetic research provides non-scientific readers with an understanding of recent accomplishments, emphasizing the social, medical, and ethical implications of such achievements. By the author of Understanding DNA and Gene Cloning.

About this title

About the Author

Karl A. Drlica is a member of the Public Health Research Institute in New York City, Research Professor of Microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine, and Research Professor of Biology at New York University.

Reviews

Drlica presents a lot of technical material lucidly and logically, then supplements it with detailed appendixes for readers who want to go further. Basically, he describes the theory and practice of germ-line gene therapy and explores the ethical considerations involved in this and related areas, revealing, for instance, that DNA fingerprinting is not always decisive and arguing that, if science is to continue making broad progress, governmental and other fund-granting organizations should continue to support basic research and not deal only with applied research. A list of "Practical Considerations" at the end of each chapter provides not only useful summary but also thought-provoking focus. Throughout, Drlica emphasizes two main points: the need for privacy of the individual's genetic information and the need for sensible, not emotional, use of family genetic analysis. An informative and absorbable addition in a subject area hardly full of books with those qualities. William Beatty

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0201408384
• ISBN 13: 9780201408386
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 242