Abstract
Nearly coincident with the publication of the article by Hedenfalk et al.1 in this issue of the Journal are reports of the complete DNA sequence of the human genome.2,3 This remarkable point in biomedical history marks the beginning of an era in which we expect to learn the molecular basis of all human diseases. How long this will take is uncertain, but the boundaries of the problem are now clear. The increasing understanding of molecular medicine will shift clinical practice from empirical treatment to therapy based on a molecular taxonomy of disease. Physicians will be prescribing rationally designed drugs . . .