Family history: the neglected risk factor in disease prevention

To the Editor: I read the article by Langlands and colleagues1 with some dismay, and a sinking heart. Their report is further evidence of the dangers of moving away from the basic skills of comprehensive history taking and performing a detailed physical examination. Interestingly, in the United States, the debate regarding performing a physical examination has come full circle, from virtually ignoring its importance to now telling us how vital it is and how to perform it.2 But it is the taking of a comprehensive history that, as one of my mentors told me, “is where the money is”, and a detailed family history is an integral part of this.