Dangerous Diagnostics : The Social Power of Biological Information

A study of the pervasiveness of diagnostic testing and the potential it offers institutions to classify, categorize and ultimately control individuals. Nelkin and Tancredi explore the ethical, social and legal implications of technologies that can lead to new forms of discrimination in the name of standardized, objective measurements. They caution against the creation of an underclass deemed unemployable, untrainable or uninsurable by such diagnostic tests.