Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

The Gene: A Historical Perspective. By Ted Everson. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. 1 vol. 188 p. $. ISBN 10: 0-313-33449-8; 13: 978-0-313-33449-8.

The origins of genetics began with the study of life and then of biology. It was only when Gregor Mendel wrote about his breeding experiments that the word, genetics, was coined. Tracing this development begins with "Ancient and Medieval Inheritance," "Renaissance and Enlightenment Views of Inheritance," "Heredity in the Nineteenth Century," "Gregor Mendel and the Concept of the Gene," "The Gene and Unifying Biology," "Molecular Biology and the Gene," "The Switch to DNA," "Manipulating DNA," "The Human Genome Project," "Genetics Today," and "The Gene and Ethical Issues." The final chapter on the ethical issues involving the gene will be helpful for debate teams. Black and white illustrations include reproductions, facsimiles of documents, and drawings Appendixes include an 8-page timeline, an 11-page glossary, and an 8-page bibliography. The timeline will be especially helpful to students who are trying to place their research in focus with what went before and what came after. Your biology teachers will welcome this brief introduction to the Human Genome Project.