Medical genetics essentially consists of the application of knowledge and methods collected and worked out in the many specialized fields of human genetics. In a multi-author review covering most of the important subspecialities it becomes a difficult task to write about 'medical genetics'. The usual way out, namely to escape into some special field, is not open to me. Instead, I shall describe some general experiences of centers dealing with 'medical genetics', and discuss current trends and the expectations we have for the future.