A Short History of Medical Genetics

by Peter S. Harper

Overview

An eminent geneticist, veteran author, OMMG Series Editor, and noted archivist, Peter Harper presents a lively account of how our ideas and knowledge about human genetics have developed over the past century from the perspective of someone inside the field with a deep interest in its historical aspects. Dr. Harper has researched the history of genetics and has had personal contact with a host of key figures whose memories and experiences extend back 50 years, and he has interviewed and recorded conversations with many of these important geneticists. Thus, rather than being a conventional history, this book transmits the essence of the ideas and the people involved and how they interacted in advancing- and sometimes retarding- the field. From the origins of human genetics; through the contributions of Darwin, Mendel, and other giants; the identification of the first human chromosome abnormalities; and up through the completion of the Human Genome project, this Short History is written in the author's characteristic clear and personal style, which appeals to geneticists and to all those interested in the story of human genetics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195187502
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/24/2008
Series:	Oxford Monographs on Medical Genetics , #57
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.40(d)

Table of Contents

iPreface/iiIntroduction/ibPart 1: The Foundations of Human and Medical Genetics/b1. Before Mendel2. Mendelism and Human Inherited Disorders3. The Rise of Classical Genetics4. The Beginnings of Molecular BiologybPart 2: Human Genetics/b5. Human Chromosomes6. Human Biochemical Genetics7. The Human Gene Map8. Genes, Populations and Human Inherited Disorders9. Human Genetics as a Scientific DisciplinebPart 3: Medical Genetics/b10. From Human to Medical Genetics11. The Elements of Medical Genetics12. Medical Genetics, the Laboratory Basis13. Human Molecular Genetics14. The Management, Therapy and Prevention of Genetic DiseasebPart 4: Genetics and Society/b15. Eugenics16. The Tragedy of Russian Genetics17. Medical Genetics, the Ethical DimensionbPart 5: Conclusion and Appendices/b18. History in the MakingiAppendix I: General Sources/iiAppendix II: Timeline/iiReferences/i

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Alix G Darden, Ph.D.(The Citadel)
Description: The author provides a lively account of the historical development of medical genetics in this book. It covers the history of medical genetics from antiquity (pre-Mendel) through the 21st century including several chapters on its impact on society, i.e., a chapter on eugenics and a chapter on current ethical issues.
Purpose: The purpose is two-fold: to provide a "simple yet accurate account" of the development of the field and to encourage those in the field to record and preserve the historical raw material. At this point, professional historians can still study the history of medical genetics first-hand since many of its founders are still alive. The first objective has definitely been met. Only time will tell if the second objective is met.
Audience: According to the author, the book should appeal to a broad audience, both students and professionals, in a wide variety of fields including biology, medicine, history, and even those trained in the social sciences and humanities who are working on relevant aspects of genetics and medicine. As a practitioner in the field, the author has personally experienced, and is currently archiving, the development of this history, providing a unique and highly qualified perspective.
Features: Not meant to be a comprehensive history, but rather a short history to pique readers' interest, the book provides plenty of references and clearly states when there are authoritative, easily accessible resources for follow-up. The author's engaging writing style presents the history by weaving together personalities, historical events, and the research that shaped this field. Throughout the book are "mini-biographies" of key personalities in the field, which allow readers to get an overview of the person's life while reading about his or her key contributions. It is possible to flip through the book and read just the mini-biographies, as they are enclosed in boxes and readily identifiable. The many images, particularly of original text and data, photographs, and original quotes add to the story. The book notes where individuals have made many significant contributions to the field, so readers can easily move through the chapters to follow the contributions of one individual.
Assessment: This is a fascinating book. Abundant quotes help to personalize and enliven the history. Throughout, the author emphasizes the collaborative and international nature of science and particularly this field. Medical genetics has had a short but explosive history, which will continue at a fast pace during this century. In many ways the research has outpaced society's ability to ethically use the discoveries, so the ethics of this field are equally important to the science. To address this, the author has included a section on genetics and society, in which he relates past abuses when genetics was used as a vehicle for societal change, and points out the specific ethical issues that have arisen in recent years and how they are being handled. The combination of the author's personal experience, intimate knowledge, and understanding of the science, his interest in recording and preserving the history, and his engaging writing style, make this book a must read for those interested in any aspect of medical genetics or history of science.

Doody's Review Service

"This 'short' history has been compiled with great clarity and style. It constitutes a major work of great scholarship and provides the reader and the greater genetics community with a unique insight into the history of their subject. The author is to be congratulated for collating and documenting so much crucial information...before it becomes lost int he mists of time. If future generations can learn from the mistakes of the past, most notably those relating to eugenics and mischievous political interference, then this tour de force will have done us all a great service."—Human Genetics

"This is a fascinating book....The combination of the author's personal experience, intimate knowledge and understanding of the science, his interest in recording and preserving the history, and his engaging writing style, make this book a must read for those interested in any aspect of medical genetics or history of science."—Doody's

"We are fortunate that the first full-length treatment of the history of this field has appeared...Reading this book is both a visual treat and a stimulating mental excursion across the world of academic medicine....The author includes photographs of virtually all the major contributors to human and medical genetics. He provides a global outlook so we are not limited to just American and United Kingdom contributions. We learn why some programs flourished in some countries and not others. We find pleasure in his footnotes, which are less a reference to cited works than anecdotal asides on the players in this unfolding story. Harper includes dozens of tables that give chronologies of each new topic or field that develops. He poses challenges in every chapter for future historians to pick up threads he has not explored, so vast is the amount of material that he has tried to cover."—Elof Axel Carlson as reviewed in The Quarterly Review of Biology

"Harper, a practicing medical geneticist for over forty years, offers a broad—yet exceedingly rich—historical overview of medical genetics. Motivated primarily by a desire to provide medical geneticists with insight into their own community's under-appreciated past, this well-researched foundational history openly encourages more detailed analysis from professional historians as well. For any researchers deterred from this field because of a lack of familiarity with the principles of genetics, Harper's work is also useful for obtaining an understanding of the basic science which has undergirded medical genetics throughout its history. Additionally, he offers ambitious historians an extensive list of neglected topics which merit further analysis, including the role of lay societies in promoting research/policy initiatives, and portrayals of genetic disease in the media."—Cultures of Health

"I very much enjoyed this book. It provides a thoughtful overview of the development of medical genetics, tracing the evolution of ideas from over 300 years ago to the present day. The different aspects of the discipline are discussed in separate sections, with helpful notes and recommended sources provided at the end of each chapter. It describes how certain key geneticists contributed to the development of these ideas, and provides tantalising, but brief, insights into their personalities and relationships."—As reviewed by Shirley Hodgson, Clinical Medicine, October 2009

From the Publisher