Brave New Cures

Your father feels unwell and you take him to the hospital. They do various tests and take blood samples. The doctors tell you that all he needs is medication. But they also tell you that he must never, ever take the commonly prescribed medication for this illness. They prescribe a slightly different alternative. Within a few weeks he looks and feels great.

Your sister gives birth. Before she goes home from the hospital, the staff takes a blood sample from her healthy newborn. A week later, you accompany her to her first postpartum appointment with her doctor, who proceeds to lay a stack of documents on her desk. The child has an increased chance of developing heart disease at age 48, will likely get dementia at age 74, and should try to stay away from sweets as there is an elevated risk of diabetes.

Your other sister develops ovarian cancer. Doctors are able to remove the tumour but due to its aggressive nature, it has spread. Her doctor searches a...