The medical genetics studies hereditary diseases and factors which provoke them. This science arose on the basis of the general medicine at the beginning of the 20th century. Thanks to its achievements the emergence of drugs for hereditary diseases is shortly possible.
Emergence and development of medical genetics
The medical genetics is the section of genetics of the person studying a role of hereditary factors in development of pathologies. Influence of these factors is considered both at the level of population, and at the molecular level. Among problems of medical genetics it is possible to call identification, study, treatment and prevention of hereditary diseases.
This science is connected with all sections of medicine, and its main section is the clinical genetics. The medical genetics at the beginning of the 20th century arose. At this time scientists only began to apply Mendel's laws to heredity of the person. Further began to study how hereditary diseases as there are mutations as the environment and heredity are transmitted influence development of diseases.
After World War II the medical genetics began to develop especially intensively. Its achievements began to put into practice, the number and the structure of chromosomes of the person was determined. Researches of diseases of a metabolism began. Of course, such progress of medical genetics in many respects was caused by progress of medicine in general. In medical genetics there are almost no methods of a research, methods of maternal and interdisciplinary sciences are used.
Principles and achievements of medical genetics
The medical genetics has a number of provisions. Hereditary diseases – a part of the general hereditary variability of the person. Their emergence is influenced by both heredity of the specific person, and the environment. The hereditary otyagoshchennost of mankind is equal to the sum of pathological mutations during evolution. Change of the habitat will lead to developing of new genetic diseases. Achievement of medical genetics is interpretation of the nature of the majority of monogenic hereditary diseases and development of methods of their diagnostics. Also she is engaged in studying genetics of hereditary diseases at the level of population. Consider different factors: genetic structure of population, demographic and migration characteristics, environmental conditions. The medical genetics carries out prevention of hereditary diseases, warning new mutations and distribution of already known. For this purpose hold consultations, diagnose hereditary diseases for newborns. Some diseases can be detected even till the child's birth. Methods of gene therapy of hereditary diseases are developed, hereditary diseases medicine in the future can appear.