Genetic Chance

Synopsis

Concerns haemophilia, its inheritance, how it affects the body, its cause and possible treatments. Queen Victoria was a carrier and it could have passed to our present royal family with fatal results, as it was to affect the family of the last of the Tsars. Considers the ethical problems it raises in the context of genetic counselling. Illustrates how the karyotype is identified in growing blood cells. The deficiency of factor 8 in the clotting process is explained, together with modern treatment. The use of amniocentesis and cell culture is shown together with the determination of the karyotype for sex, Downs syndrome and spina bifida. Ethical problems surrounding abortion, screening before marriage, and the keeping of computer records are discussed.

Series

My Children, My Children, Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. VHS. col. 60 min.

Year of production

1979

Availability

OUT OF DISTRIBUTION

Uses

O- and A-level groups; adults in training - particularly useful for discussion of ethics.*

Subjects

Medical sciences; Social welfare

Keywords

haemophilia; medical ethics

Credits

Producer

Robert Reid

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

Concord Media

Email

sales@concordmedia.org.uk

Web

http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/ External site opens in new window

Phone

01473 726 012

Address

Rosehill Centre
22 Hines Road
Ipswich
IP3 9BG

Notes

A long-established, not-for-profit organisation with a large collection DVDs, specialising in the sectors of general and mental health, child care, race relations, war and peace, addictions, the third world, ecology, civil rights, personal relationships, educational issues, and social work training. Concord also handles titles made for the Graves Medical Audio-visual Library. Sale on DVD. Formerly known as Concord Video and Film Council. In 2014 Concord began to offer selected films as Video on Demand, via Vimeo.