When people are created, they receive genes that are passed down through multiple generations. Many of these genes can benefit the unborn child or kill it. Through meiosis, offspring receive two sets of genes, one from each parent. In human embryos, the baby receives 23 chromosomes from each parent, equal to the 46 chromosomes in a normal human body cell. Parents can pass down the traits of blonde hair, orange hair, brown eyes, blue eyes and even height to their offspring. Generations before the offspring, diseases can be passed on to the offspring that can harm them. In most cases evolution opposes a disease, eliminating it from the chromosomes, but in some cases some diseases are still carried. Hemochromatosis is one of those diseases. Hemochromatosis, native to people of Western European origin, is a disease that is still present in the chromosomes of humans. Hemochromatosis is an inherited disease that alters the way the body metabolizes iron. (Moalem, 2) A person suffering from hemochromatosis absorbs copious amounts of iron. As the body mistakes for not having enough iron, it absorbs more than it needs, which causes iron buildups to form in joints, muscles, and major organs. This buildup can cause liver failure, heart failure, diabetes, arthritis, infertility, psychiatric disorders and cancer. When it was discovered by Armand Trousseau in 1865, it was considered extremely rare. (Doctors Lounge, post) Later in history, many people of Western European descent were found to carry or express the hemochromatosis gene. Statistics show that 1 in 4 people of Western European descent carry the hemochromatosis gene, but only 200 people of Western European descent express the gene. (Mo...... middle of paper....... People with hemochromatosis do not contract diseases such as malaria because their immune systems are strong enough to resist the bacteria. Human genes have maintained hemochromatosis because although it can kill you over time, it can protect you from bacteria that kill quickly and from diseases that normal people can die from. Hemochromatosis was passed down through parents' genes, and about 25% of people of Western European descent carry it. the gene. Hemochromatosis can be fatal. It can also be helpful in fighting disease. Dr. Sharon Moalem studied patients and recurring disease symptoms to realize that, although it is harmful, it remains in our genes because we may need it decades ago. Europeans needed it to fight bubonic plaque and it kept some alive Our chromosomes keep them because it is easy to treat and can have many benefits.