The one and only comprehensive reference for all aspects of human genetics Unique in breadth and authority The fourth, completely revised edition of this classical reference and textbook presents a cohesive and up-to-date exposition of the concepts, results, and problems underlying theory and practice in human and medical genetics. In the 10 years since the appearance of the third edition, many new insights have emerged for understanding the genetic basis of development and function in human health and disease. Human genetics, with its emphasis on molecular concepts and techniques, has become a key discipline in medicine and the biomedical sciences. The fourth edition has been extensively expanded by new chapters on hot topics such as epigenetics, pharmacogenetics, gene therapy, cloning and genetic epidemiology. In addition a section giving an overview on the main model organisms (mouse, dog, worm, fly, yeast) used in human genetics research has been introduced. This book will be of interest to human and medical geneticists, scientists in all biomedical sciences, physicians and epidemiologists, as well as to graduate and postgraduate students who desire to learn the fundamentals of this fascinating field

The fourth edition of this classical reference book can once again be relied upon to present a cohesive and up-to-date exposition of all aspects of human and medical genetics. Human genetics has become one of the main basic sciences in medicine, and molecular genetics is increasingly becoming a major part of this field. This new edition integrates a wealth of new information - mainly describing the influence of the "molecular revolution" - including the principles of epigenetic processes which together create the phenotype of a human being. Other revisions are an improved layout, sub-division into a larger number of chapters, as well as two-colour print throughout for ease of reference, and many of the figures are now in full colour. For graduates and those already working in medical genetics.

The twelfth edition of this classic reference work includes:

- More than 2,000 new entries

- A total of more than 9,000 entries

- New features and enhancement of the familiar old features

- Mapping information on more than 4,000 genes of known function

- Information on specific point mutations responsible for more than 700 genetic disorders or neoplasms

"Mendelian Inheritance in Man" (MIM) is a genetic knowledgebase that serves clinical medicine and biomedical research, including the Human Genome Project. It aims to be comprehensive (not only complete, but also collated, integrated, and interpreted), authoritative (not only accurate but also sound in its interpretations and judgements), and timely (not only up-to-date but also historically dimensioned).

"From a review of the eleventh edition, "Reproductive Toxicology: "Even the convenience of computer-based forms of "MIM" cannot eliminate the need for "MIM" in book form. The preface provides a wonderful synopsis of human genetics. The information contained in this text serves as a concise review for those with a genetics background."

"From a review of the tenth edition, "New England Journal of Medicine: " Victor McKusick] has been for all these years the shepherd of the development of the field of clinical genetics]. Perhaps his most important pragmatic achievement has been the 10 editions of "Mendelian Inheritance in Man, " which rapidly became and has remained the principal source of information on inherited diseases for all clinical geneticists.

"In addition to the erudite entries in the books, the references given with each description represent a magnificent bibliography of clinical genetics. With McKusick's leadership and continued interest in gene mapping, the book also rep-resents an important compen-dium of the location of genes on specific chromosomes.

"The book is a magnificent security blanket for the clinical geneticist and should be in the libraries not only of these specialists, but also of all others who see patients with diseases that have genetic components."