The genetic mystique of ‘me’ medicine

We are on the leading edge of a true revolution in medicine," Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, says in his new book, The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine - "one that promises to transform the traditional 'one size fits all' approach into a much more powerful strategy that considers each individual as unique and as having special characteristics that should guide an approach to staying healthy. But you have to be ready to embrace this new world."

This seismic shift toward genetic personalized medicine promises to give each of us insight into our deepest personal identity - our genetic selves - and let us sip the elixir of life in the form of individually tailored testing and drugs. But can we really believe these promises?

Genetic personalized medicine isn't the only important new development. Commercial ventures such as private blood banks play up the uniqueness of your baby's umbilical-cord blood. Enhancement technologies such as deep-brain stimulation - "Botox for the brain" - promote the idea that you have a duty...