ABSTRACT
Some diseases are inherited genetically, for example Huntington's chorea and cystic fibrosis. Aside from overt genetic disease, the genetic hand of cards that people are dealt at conception has an influence on every aspect of our biological existence, including our reaction to psychosocial situations and environmental agents. Malnutrition is a common cause of disease in the developing world, and it is a common belief among authorities that it is not a problem in the United Kingdom. Disorders of some of the glands that regulate the internal environment and processes of the body - pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenals and gonads - are increasing. 'Degenerative' disease is a rather miscellaneous category of conditions that covers common arthritis and the effects of ageing. Drugs, both licit and illicit, create their own health problems. Increasing ill-health means increasing demand on the National Health Service (NHS), which in a cash-limited NHS amounts to the same thing as cuts in services.
