The Meanings of the Gene

Summary

The Meanings of the Geneis a compelling look at societal hopes and fears about genetics in the course of the twentieth century. The work of scientists and doctors in advancing genetic research and its applications has been accompanied by plenty of discussion in the popular pressfrom Good Housekeeping and Forbes to Ms. and the Congressional Recordabout such topics as eugenics, sterilization, DNA, genetic counseling, and sex selection. By demonstrating the role of rhetoric and ideology in public discussions about genetics, Condit raises the controversial question, Who shapes decisions about genetic research and its consequences for humansscientists, or the public? Analyzing hundreds of stories from American magazinesand, later, television newsfrom the 1910s to the 1990s, Condit identifies three central and enduring public worries about genetics: that genes are deterministic arbiters of human fate; that genetics research can be used for discriminatory ends; and that advances in genetics encourage perfectionistic thinking about our children. Other key public concerns that Condit highlights are the complexity of genetic decision-making and potential for invasion of privacy; conflict over the human genetic code and experimentation with DNA; and family genetics and reproductive decisions. Her analysis reveals a persistent debate in the popular media between themes of genetic determinism (such as eugenics) and more egalitarian views that place genes within the complexity of biological and social life.The Meanings of the Geneoffers an insightful view of our continuing efforts to grapple with our biological natures and to define what it means, and will mean in the future, to be human.

Author Biography

Celeste Condit is professor of speech communication at the University of Georgia. She is the author of several books on public discourse and social change, including Decoding Abortion Rhetoric, Crafting Equality: America's Anglo-American Word, and Evaluating Women's Health.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

(22)

PART ONE CLASSICAL EUGENICS: 1900--1935

(38)

Breeding the Human Stock

(19)

Challenges to Eugenics

(17)

PART TWO FAMILY GENETICS: 1940--1954

(34)

The Transformation to Genetics

(17)

The Family Gene

(15)

PART THREE GENETIC EXPERIMENTATION: 1956--1976

(60)

Recording Humanity

(25)

Genetic Counseling

124

(16)

Ethical Challenges and Biohazards

140

(17)

PART FOUR GENETIC MEDICINE AND BEYOND: 1980--1995

157

(92)

Blueprints for Genetic Commerce

159

(19)

Toward a Personal Health Genetics

178

(10)

Ethical Challenges for Genetic Health

188

(61)

Conclusions and Speculations

209

(40)

Appendix 1: Theory and Methodology

249

(20)

Appendix 2: Quantitative Data

269

(5)

Appendix 3: Coding Sheet and Instructions

274

(6)

Notes

280

(16)

References

296

(18)

Index

314

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