It becomes more likely as time passes that a physician, and especially a pediatrician, will sometime be asked for genetic information and advice. A couple about to marry, in one or the other of whose families there occurs a hereditary condition, want to know, will our children have it? Parents demand, after the birth of an affected child, will it happen again? What are the chances? An adoption agency, placing a child, inquires, will it be free of hereditary disorders?
To these and like questions, how does the conscientious physician reply? Obviously he will not have the answers, where there are answers, at his finger tips; nor will he ordinarily have the time, resources, and facilities to turn to the "literature" to ferret out the answers for himself, or usually have the opportunity to consult a genetic counselor. Therefore, he must resort to a book.
The purpose of the book