Double-Edged Sword: The Promises and Risks of the Genetic Revolution

Karl Drlica€™s Double-Edged Sword: The Promises and Risks of the Genetic Revolution explores both the positive and negative aspects of modern genetics and its potential impact on us as individuals. He presents, with extraordinary clarity, the practical applications of the genetic revolution-what the latest findings mean for families who suffer from genetic diseases as well as for the myriad people who want to use genetic screening to improve their lives.

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