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Originally Posted by Lumpkin
Medical information may have been important many decades ago, but with today's medical advances, he already knows more about himself medically than your parents knew about themselves, even knowing their family lineage.
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I disagree with this statement to a certain degree. I work in the medical field and family history plays an important part when putting together for your health history. Based on what you may have a family history of you can be fast tracked for 'early detection' testing for a whole slew of diseases. It can also help doctors narrow down possible causes of harder to diagnose diseases and better gauge what sort of labs they might order for you.
An example might be, if you have a first degree relative with a history of colon cancer, you would be fast tracked for a colonoscopy prior to the general age related screening (50 y/o) as an early detection method.
No, it isn't the end all be all, but even if he knows more about himself medically than people of the previous generation/s it's not something that I would write off so easily. It can still play an big factor in the diagnostic process and decision making.