From "Symposia of the Society for the Study of Human Biology"
    
     "Natural Selection in Man" - University College, London, 1958
  
     Published as "Natural Selection in Human Populations"
     Editors D F Roberts and G A Harrison
     Pergamon Press - London - 1959 

     Quote from Theodosius Dobzhansky - Department of Zoology
     Columbia University, New York City.
     "On selection of Gene Systems in Natural Populations"

    "Although Morgan saw clearly that "... the whole germ plasm,
     the sum of all the genes, acts in the formation of every
     detail of the body ...", the semantic habits of geneticists
     conspired to conceal this fact. We still speak of the gene
     "for" the blood group A, the haemophilia gene, the 
     achondroplasia gene in Man, the gene "for" resistance to 
     DDT in the house fly, and "for" resistance to the newest
     antibiotic in bacteria. Recent work in genetics has shown 
     that the atomism of heredity is actually not as thorough-
     going as it was believed earlier.

     The form of discourse accepted in genetics is liable to 
     generate pseudo-problems. What, for example, was the gene
     for DDT resistance doing in the house flies during the aeons
     of time before DDT was discovered?

     The development is brought about by the genotype; the 
     constellation of genes, acting in concert, and interacting
     with the environment. There is no gene "for" DDT resistance
     in flies, although the difference between the resistant and
     the non-resistant flies may be conditioned by one gene, or 
     by a small group of genes."

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     Dobzhansky later quotes Morgan's dictum:

     "all the genes that an organism possesses participate
     in the formation of every detail of the body"

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    "Perceptions" note:

    This seems to confirm our own conclusion - that the 
    addition, subtraction or change of even one gene, for 
    "genetic engineering" purposes, will necessarily cause
    unknown (and unknowable) changes / damage in the whole
    organism.
  
    We say that if this is done in a human being then a
    "non-human" inevitably results, no matter how small
    the projected change and no matter how confident the
    "genetic engineer" professes to be.

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     Evidence page for
     http://www.perceptions.couk.com/genes8.html
     
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