Standing on the Shoulders of Darwin and Mendel: Early Views of Inheritance explores early theories about the mechanisms of inheritance. Beginning with Charles Darwin's now rejected Gemmule hypothesis, the book documents the reception of Gregor Mendel's work on peas and follows the work of early 20th century scholars. The research of Francis Galton, a cousin of Darwin, and the friction it caused between these two are a part of longer story of the development of genetics and an understanding of how offspring inherit the characteristics of their parents. Bateson, Garrod, de Vries, Tschermak and others are all characters in a scientific story of discovery, acrimony, cooperation and revelation.

Standing on the Shoulders of Darwin and Mendel: Early Views of Inheritance explores early theories about the mechanisms of inheritance. Beginning with Charles Darwin's now rejected Gemmule hypothesis, the book documents the reception of Gregor Mendel's work on peas and follows the work of early 20th century scholars. The research of Francis Galton, a cousin of Darwin, and the friction it caused between these two are a part of longer story of the development of genetics and an understanding of how offspring inherit the characteristics of their parents. Bateson, Garrod, de Vries, Tschermak and others are all characters in a scientific story of discovery, acrimony, cooperation and revelation.

By the mid 19th Century biologists had a big problem to solve - how does heredity work? Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and his cousin Francis Galton (1822-1911) wanted to know because their famous books, The Origin of Species by Natural Selection and Hereditary Genius, only made sense if they understood the basis of inheritance. A lone genius, Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), worked on the inherited of features in hybrids of the edible pea for 8 years, presenting a correct solution in 1865. He was a Catholic monk, priest and later Abbot in the Augustinian Monastery of Brunn, near Vienna. He was able to define the 'gene' and to reveal some of its fundamental properties. It is extraordinary that the talented British team involved in this research, including Charles Darwin, Francis Galton, George Romanes and Karl Pearson all failed to arrive at the truth and this book attempts to explain why.

Theoretical Background.- Genetic Approaches to Common Diseases.- A Candidate Gene Approach to the Genetics of Normal Lipid Variation: DNA Association Studies and Genotype by Environment Interaction.- Molecular Genetics Approach to Polygenic Disease - Initial Results from Atherosclerosis Research.- Diabetes.- Facilitative Glucose Transporters: Regulation and Possible Role in NIDDM.- Molecular Genetic Approach to Polygenic Disease: Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM).- Lipids.- HDL and Reverse Transport of Cholesterol: Insights from Mutants.- Apolipoprotein E Polymorphisms and the Genetic Heterogeneity of Familial Dysbetalipoproteinaemia.- Abnormalities of Apolipoprotein B Metabolism in the Lipid Clinic.- Genetic Variation at the ApoA-I, CIII, A-IV Gene Complex: A Critical Review of the Associations between the Pst1 and Sst1 RFLPs at this Locus with Lipid Disorders.- The Molecular Basis of the Chylomicronemia Syndrome.- Lipoprotein Lipase Gene Variants in Subjects with Hypertriglyceridaemia and Coronary Atherosclerosis.- Atherosclerosis.- Atherosclerosis: The Genetic Analysis of a Multi-Factorial Disease.- RFLP Markers of Familial Coronary Heart Disease.- DNA Polymorphisms as Disease Markers.- Participants.