| OCR Text |
Show Titles and Abstracts 11 the field of human heredity. The need for knowledge in this field 'is very great and its applicitions are many. . 1. It will help the 2. It will be valuable in physician in the diagnosis of disease. medicolegal cases. It may serve frequently as the basis for advice on prospective marriages and 3. . 4. . In many instances it may be the limiting the size of families. determining factor in . Utah is in many respects an ideal place in which to do re search in human genetics. The families are large and in .many This not only insures large numbers from which conclusions can be drawn, but provides many test crosses which would not otherwise exist. Not only this, but in Utah we find many very complete genealogical records which are of inestimable value in this type of research. instances are of polygamous origin. The functions of the Laboratory of Human Genetics 1. To carryon research in human are: heredity. 2. To accumulate this data in a central office where it will be available to doctors, members of families concerned, etc., and 3. To provide a place where anyone having a particular problem in human heredity can come to privately discuss it and receive such information as is available. Weare fortunate in having a medical school at the University which can refer to us interesting .cases for study and whose staff members can cooperate with us in giving examinations and in giving diagnoses of cases studied. Recently the United States-Government appropriated $92,000 for the study of muscular dystrophy and other hereditary degener ative diseases at the University medical school. This is a coopera tive project including pathological and other studies as well as studies in human genetics. Weare cooperating with the medical school in making the genetic studies. In the course of time we hope to accumulate records and make studies of the important hereditary characteristics found in the State and to make these available where they can be of most value. Slides were shown of some hereditary defects which we have been studying at the Laboratory. |
