Family Diseases »

While geneticists have long been interested in genealogy and genealogists in genetics, only recently have the two fields become linked in a way that promises dramatic advances in our understanding of the relationship between genetic disorders and ancestry. This book, by Los Angeles Times Syndicate columnist Myra Gormley, was a pioneering effort to explore that relationship, to alert people to things they and their family ought to know about both their family tree and genetic research, and to examine the scientific breakthroughs that have made possible the control and treatment of some inherited diseases.
Written in a popular style, in language few of us will find difficult to understand, this ground-breaking work examines the genetics revolution and its implications for your health; it discusses genetic diseases and whether you and your family may be at risk; and it explores your mental and behavioral roots--your genetic susceptibility to manic depression, for example, or to alcoholism--all in the framework of ancestry and family health history.

Publishers Weekly

This compact book is a primer on both inherited disease and genealogy, but emphasizes the latter, as might be expected from the author, a genealogist. Gormley provides sketchy, anecdotal information on genetic research, but leaves diagnosis and detailed medical explanations to the experts. Instead, she offers a summary of resources for genealogic investigations, explaining how to utilize state records and home computers to ferret out information on otherwise unsuspected defects and illnesses that could affect present and future generations. Most readers will, unsurprisingly, find themselves urged to take the usual precautions against familial obesity, heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism or cancer; a small percentage may discover they're at risk for one or more of the dozens of rare disorders and birth defects mentioned more briefly. And those who unearth family histories of genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia or hemophilia may benefit from genetic counseling when planning a family. (Aug.)