Up Close and Personal : Ethical issues in genomic testing

Abstract

Achilles was foretold to die young. When he was still a baby, his mother Thetis took him to the river Styx, which separated the world of the living from the realm of Hades. The waters of the Styx were known to bring invulnerability to those who were touched by them. Thetis bathed the infant in the magical Styx. After that, Achilles lived, grew and flourished. As he came of age, Achilles became a fearless warrior and a leader in the Trojan War, during which he acquired a reputation of unassailability. Until, in the midst of battle, a poisonous arrow pierced through Achilles’ heel, and killed him... Thetis had held her baby by the heel when she submerged him in the Styx. The waters had left only Achilles’ heel vulnerable.