ABSTRACT
Medical genetics, like other fields of science and medicine, functions within the context of a diverse community of workers and a series of activities outside the core remit of research, teaching and services. For Britain these have been exceptionally productive, and influential worldwide. A long series of books, from 1940 to the present, has played a major role in defining the field, and has included introductory and more advanced textbooks for medical students and others, monographs and practical handbooks, all given increased influence by the international use of the English language. British scientific journals have also been prominent, with the Journal of Medical Genetics being the first in the field worldwide. A series of professional societies has represented British medical genetics, the Clinical Genetics Society being the first of these. Strong international links, both with other European countries and with North America, have always characterised the field; in the early years a series of important workers came to Britain as refugees from fascism, while the Galton Laboratory was an international focus for many who became leaders of medical genetics in their own countries. Later, a number of British medical geneticists trained in America, notably with Victor McKusick in Baltimore.
