Full Description
This very readable overview of the rise and transformations of medical genetics and of the eugenic impulses that have been inspired by the emerging understanding of the genetic basis of many diseases and disabilities is based on a popular nonmajors course, "Social Implications of Genetics," that Gillham gave for many years at Duke University. The book is suitable for use as a text in similar overview courses about genes and social issues or genes and disease. It gives a good overview of the developments and status of this field for a wide range of biomedical researchers, physicians, and students, especially those interested in the prospects for the new, genetics-based personalized medicine.
Contents
Preface ix Chapter 1genetic diseases arise 25 Chapter 3: Ethnicity and genetic disease 55 Chapter 4: Susceptibility genes and risk factors 81 Chapter 5: Genes and cancer 103 Chapter 6: Genes and behavior 129 Chapter 7: Genes and IQ: an unfinished story 151 Chapter 8: Preventing genetic disease 175 Chapter 9: Treating genetic disease 199 Chapter 10: The dawn of personalized medicine 235 Postscript: a cautionary note 249 References and notes 253 Glossary 293 Some useful human genetics Web sites 307 Acknowledgments 309 About the author 311 Index 313
