Principles of Medical Genetics

From a review of this edition: "If you're not clued up on your heterozygotes, or your isochromosomes, or if you haven't the foggiest who Gregor Mendel is, you need to catch up on your genetics and this is the book to do it with. This textbook is designed to give both medical student and doctor a clear understanding of the principles of genetics and how these apply to modern day medicine. It is one of the best textbooks I have ever read on the topic, starting from the very basics and building on that knowledge, packing a great deal into such a slender 400 page paperback, including lots of diagrams, photographs and case studies to illustrate themes and genetic conditions highlighted in each chapter. The book deals with the role of genetics in medicine and the statistics of population genetics concisely yet competently, as well as scrutinising the genetics behind human disease. Modern day issues are dedicated their own chapters, including cytogenetics, the methods behind the Human Genome Project and cancer genetics, clinical genetics and gene therapy and the ethics of genetic medicine. I was delighted to see these topics being covered so thoroughly in such an accessible format, unlike many other genetic textbooks. In addition, time-starved medical students with too much to do will appreciate how this book splits major topics into subtitled sections in each chapter so you can quickly assess what the chapter contains and access that information as soon as you need it, as the chapters are not just blocks of text that must be deciphered. Additional features of this book are that key terms are highlighted in bold and are defined in a comprehensive detailed glossary. The book has a section with study questions and answers which address material in each chapter but some questions also apply to principles learned to evoke thinking, analysis and discussion. The book makes strong links between genetics and medicine, something which needs to be appreciated as advances in genetics becomes all the more involved in the way we treat patients and their conditions. To summarise, I would recommend this book to anyone who will encounter genetics in medicine, students and beyond, as it is easy to read, accessible and highly relevant. Definitely worth checking out. Judith Ritchie, Medical Student, Sheffield UniversityGelehrter, Thomas F. is the author of 'Principles of Medical Genetics', published 1998 under ISBN 9780683034455 and ISBN 0683034456.