As a neonatologist, I encountered hundreds of babies with developmental abnormalities. The first diagnostic thought that crossed our minds was, “Is this a mutation?” We asked this question because we knew that an abnormality in genetic information processing could be the source of the baby’s malformation. We would then send their blood to the genetics lab to evaluate the DNA for any possible mutations. In my clinical practice, I never saw a good mutation, but I saw plenty of bad ones. The Neo-Darwinian would argue that the good ones are silent until they have randomly assimilated enough mistakes to create something amazing. It seems to me, however, if bad mutations are more clinically frequent than good mutations, then this would actually send evolution in the wrong direction, a questionable step forward, but a clinically verifiable two steps backward.
If we saw a cluster of developmental abnormalities from a particular part of the state we would notify public health to check the area out for possible sources of increased mutation rates, such as radiation or toxic chemicals. Ironically, we would come to the conclusion that an area with a high mutation rate was not an architectural plan for human progress, but rather a toxic waste site. Instead of building condos in the area to give people the opportunity to bask in the glow of mutational excellence we would set up for sale signs and string biohazard tape around the area.
While many of us may consider our teenagers to be mutants, they actually have a well-preserved DNA structure, which is constantly repairing mistakes in its genetic code. As entertaining as it may be to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles named after famous artists, painters, and sculptors, I saw babies named Michael with Down’s syndrome and Emily with Cystic Fibrosis, David with Trisomy 18 and Susie with Werdnig-Hoffman disease. Babies afflicted with mutations that shortened their lives and brought tragedy to their families. Unlike the radiation exposure that made turtles into super ninja’s, Three Mile Island is not the Lourdes for the evolutionary set, Chernobyl is not the Garden of Eden. Mutations in the final analysis are mistakes not magnificence.
