Article 41 Response Paper

Daniel Contreras
Professor Osborne
Anthropology
Mon & Wed 4:00-5:30pm
September 21, 2011

Evolution occurs not only in animals and humans but also in bacteria and diseases. In the article titled "Curse and Blessing of the Ghetto" by Jared Diamond it is explained that certain diseases have evolved and continued to exist for various centuries. The author mainly focuses on various possible explanations on why the disease has continued to exist within Eastern European Jews whom are also known as Ashkenazim. The most credible explanation, according to Diamond, to why these diseases are passed on involves natural selection.

Tay-Sachs is common amongst the Jewish population from Eastern Europe. This group of people were forced to lived in unsanitary circumstances for many generations were tuberculosis was prominent. Eventually, this population were more genetically protected from TB but simultaneously affected by various genetic diseases. Those that possessed Tay-Sachs would pass it on to their offspring; as a result, the child would be either heterozygous or homozygous of the gene depending on the other parent. Because more heterozygous individuals survive, this genetic disease continues to pass on.

This author's article is well written. It immediate catches one's attention and it goes into detail about this genetics's origins. I didn't know anything about Tay-Sachs disease until I read Diamond's entry. The screen testing sounds like quite the advancement. Hopefully that becomes common practice in finding all of the other genetic diseases.

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