Genetics: The Quiet Revolution in Science and Medicine

Science and medicine are undergoing a quiet revolution. Beginning in 1953, with the discovery by Watson and Crick of the nature of DNA, knowledge of our genetic structure and function is changing the way in which we think and act in the laboratory and the clinic.1The remarkably brief description of the structure of DNA began a revolution, which is proceeding with great fervor in the laboratory, has spilled over occasionally into the clinic, and evokes a much quieter reception in education and clinical care. Lederberg2has commented on the impact that this discovery has had on science, and McClendon3has commented on other areas in which it has had an impact. Our educational and clinical practices have not adapted to the degree that will be necessary if we are to take advantage of the revolution. Marked differences in our perception of the pathogenesis of some clinical disorders