[New challenges in health education. Medical genetics].

The article examines the reasons for the accelerated development of medical genetics in the last 30 years. It dwells on why hereditary diseases have become so prominent in the vital statistics of many countries, and reviews the biological and social aspects of these diseases. It is further noted that, despite the new importance of these diseases, the medical schools in which medical genetics is taught are relatively few, and physicians are turned out without even a rudimentary grounding with which to face problems in this field. The author concludes that there is urgent need to plan and develop an extensive program of education in medical genetics on both the under and postgraduate levels, and in the community itself.