Public libraries are the go-to public institutions for requests for medical information from their communities.  There are a number of very good websites for health conditions and diseases, drug databases, and nutrition and health best practices.

One of my favorites is www.healthfinder.gov from the Department of Health and Human Services.  You may subscribe to its daily online newsletter that has the latest health, drug and medical study news.

Something that really caught my eye in the May 5, 2008 newsletter was a study by two American doctors, published in the May issue of Pediatrics, of children born in Sweden who were diagnosed with autism before the age of 10.  This study ”was most notable for its size, incorporating data on 1,237 children born in Sweden between 1977 and 2003 who had been diagnosed with autism before the age of 10, as well as about 31,000 controls.

Both mothers and fathers with schizophrenia were roughly twice as likely to have a child with autism, the study found.

Only mothers with depression and neurotic and personality disorders (as opposed to fathers) had an increased risk of having a child diagnosed with autism.

The study confirms previous, smaller studies that found that psychiatric disorders were more common among blood relations of people with autism. A strong genetic component is suspected for autism, a developmental disorder.”

Public libraries can play a decided role in recommending valuable, peer-reviewed medical web sites to their users.