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stood Mendelian inheritance well. They found it virtually impossible to accept the concept of the healthy carrier. The usual response was to agree politely that the child was perfectly healthy and did not need any treatment, but that children should be tested as young as possible-"so that it can be treated in time." Since completing this study we have been aware of the comparative simplicity of counselling families who come for testing, or have already been tested, if there is prior knowledge of their condition. They might, for example, have relatives with a haemoglobinopathy or trait, might have been tested themselves in pregnancy, or might have been referred by a doctor of their own ethnic background. We conclude that mass screening for haemoglobinopathy is unjustified, at least in this country. We advocate instead further health education about haemoglobinopathies together with financial support for hospitals recognised as able to offer both adequate testing and counselling. The UK Thalassaemia Society's booklet contains a list of such hospitals in the London area.

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