A Short History of Medical Genetics [Hardcover]

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, thisShort Historyis 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.

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. --HumanGenetics

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 writinlÃp