[The future of medical genetics in a university hospital setting]

The author presents three potential ways of developing an university centre of medical genetics, to make most effective use of this fast-evolving discipline. The three possibilities discussed are: i) the attachment of genetics units to major departments; ii) the creation of a large autonomous genetics centre (be Department or Institute) fulfilling all the requirements of the hospital; and iii) an "ecumenical" approach, that is a main genetics centre with a very few associated, highly specialized, departmental satellite units. The author argues in favour of the last solution.