Archives and human genetics: saving the past for the future

Abstract

Developments in the history of human genetics are of interest to those who participated in them and also to historians of medicine and science. Individuals in these fields are increasingly concerned that the record of this history is being discarded. Based on a talk by two archivists which was presented at the Second International Workshop on Genetics, Medicine and History, this paper discusses the problems of selection and preservation and suggests methodologies and actions currently available which offer some practical solutions. Only by acting now in a co-ordinated approach of our disciplines will a history of human genetics survive.