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Much has been made
in science fiction, notably in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World"
of 1932, of the idea of applying genetic engineering beyond the
area of corrective or preventative medicine into changing human
characteristics - the notion of "improving" the human being, and
its political corrolaries like engineering a "master race" and
a "slave race".
This
has become a favorite topic for speculation and a source of catchy
headlines in the media, but without any regard for the impracticability
of the idea, thus perpetuating misconceptions and raising false
alarms.
We have
been considering thus far, the relatively small number of rare
diseases which are accountable to a defect in a single gene. Although
our understanding of the human genome may increase this number
somewhat, it is important to make clear that the vast majority
of both diseases and normal human characteristics - like height,
physical endurance, artistic ability and intelligence - are highly
complex "multi-factoral" phenomena. That is they involve the interactions
of many different genes and any number of environmental influences
and individual choices. Even supposedly simple things like the
inheritance of hair and eye colour now seem to be more complex
matters. Thus to talk of "improving the human race" by means of
genetic engineering would seem to be as fantastic as most science
fiction, quite apart from any ethical objections. Unfortunately,
eugenic experimentation under the Nazi regime in Germany, has
not only cast a shadow over the whole field of genetics, rather
as Hiroshima has for nuclear power, but it has demonstrated that
we could never discount the political possibility of genetic abuse
if ever the technology were feasible.
Charles
Siebert
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