AN OUTSTANDING characteristic of our time is the application of the law of compound interest to almost everything; the population, the gross national product, information, technology, and science. All of these aspects of human affairs have recently taken an exponential turn, so that the larger the figure is to start, the greater is the absolute annual increment. For example, although scientists have been plying their trade for many years it has been estimated that 80% to 90% of all the persons to whom science has been a vocation are living today. 1 Human genetics too has undergone a very recent exponential proliferation. Table 1 shows its extent. Here are given for two-year periods the numbers of papers listed in the Index Medicus under the heading "Human Genetics," as well as those papers listed under the heading "Chromosomes" and which deal with the human variety. As you see, during the early