genetics

[Laurence Horn]

At 2:11 PM -0400 4/29/10, victor steinbok wrote:
>"Born with" does not mean that the condition is genetically linked.
>And, unless it is genetically linked, it is not hereditary. But it is
>congenital. Congenital heart defect is not inherited. Nor is
>congenital atrophy.
>
>>>From Wiki:
>
>>  According to the CDC most _birth_defects_ are believed to be
>>caused by a complex mix of factors including genetics, environment,
>>and behaviors,[1] though many birth defects have no known cause.
>
>This is only one type of congenital defect--other types are all
>non-genetic and not heritable.
>
>An example of heritable congenital disorder/defect is congenital
>metabolic disorder.
>
>VS-)
>
>On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 12:20 PM, Alison Murie <sagehen7470 at att.net> wrote:
>  >
>  > Baldness is inherited through the female parent.
>>  AM
>>  (And, LH, is =/=  *not* equal?  [congenital is not hereditary, but
>>  acquired in gestation])
>  > ~~~~~~~~~~~
>
Yes, my point was Victor's above, that congenital is not equivalent
to hereditary for the reason he mentions, while it was harder to
think of a difference between genetic and hereditary, on the relevant
senses of each.  Besides gestation, congenital problems often occur
during the birth process itself (often from the misuse of forceps in
the bad old days, if popular accounts of this can be trusted).

LH

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