[Thalassemia in eastern Sicily. Medicosocial and medicolegal aspects]

Data relating to the incidence of thalassaemia in Eastern Sicily are presented. Emphasis is placed on the medicosocial aspects of the disease, and the importance of effective prophylaxis based on the screening of carriers, and the proper health education of the general population. The medicolegal aspects of thalassaemia are also examined, with reference to the juridical and ethical features of transfusion, and to the possibility of employing the hereditary characteristics of the trait in the biological investigation of paternity and maternity.