MEDICAL-ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR GENETIC INVESTIGATIONS IN HUMANS

Since 1969 the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) has issued man y guidelines and directives on medical problems and guiding principles on ethical behaviour for doctors, which have been well accepted by th e various population groups concerned. In 1981 the Senate of the SAMS set up a Permanent ''Central Medical-ethical Committee'' which, with t he help of sub-committees and experts, draws up guidelines and guiding principles which before implementation are considered by the Senate i n two readings. In order to obtain the opinion of the medical professi on and after their approval by the Senate, our guidelines are publishe d in German and French in the ''Schweizerische Arztezeigung''. They ar e also included in the ''Vademecum for Swiss Doctors''. They are also frequently requested by institutions and other interested parties outs ide the medical profession as well as from abroad in the form of indiv idual brochures, an there has recently been an increased demand for En glish versions. We are very grateful to the Editors of the Schweizeris che Medizinische Wochenschrift (SMW) that in order to considerably bro aden the readership we shall in future also be able to publish these g uidelines in that journal in three languages(1). The attached ''Medica l-ethical Guidelines on Genetic Investigation in Humans'' appeared in the ''Schweizerische Arztezeitung'' on 22. 9. 1993. They are the resul t of about four years' work by several sub-committees.