Book 1
Authors, Editors, Translators, and/or compilers: Peter
S. Harper, Author and Editor
Title and Subtitle:
Landmarks in Medical
Genetics: Classic papers with
commentaries
Edition number or information: NA
Number(s) of volume used: NA
Name of series: NA
Place of publication:
NA
Name of Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Date of publication (copyright): 2004
Authority
Sir Peter Harper, the
editor of this book, has served as Professor of Medical Genetics at University
of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff.
He helped develop the Wales Medical Genetics Services and is a member of
the UK Human Genetics Commission and Advisory Committee on Genetic
testing. Sir Peter was member of
Nuffield Council on Bioethics from 2004-2010.
He was knighted in 2004 for his contributions to medicine; he was
responsible for developing research in neurogenetics, notably on Huntington’s
disease and Myotonic
Timeliness
The book in this
conversation was published in 2004.
While this was nearly eight years ago, the fact that diseases such as
Huntingtons still don’t have a cure, Sir Peter’s research was ground breaking
and remains so to this day. Even though
he has retired from his position at Cardiff, he has continued serving on a
variety of boards and commissions and has continued writing articles and books
on the subject of medical genetics.
Documentation
This book is actually a
collection of papers to provide geneticists and researchers a background on
medical genetics. The collection also
includes brief, concise commentary from Sir Peter regarding each paper. As such, each paper in and of itself is its
own source.
Purpose & Audience
This collection of papers
is primarily intended for geneticists and researchers in order to provide a detailed
timeline of the origination and development of medical genetics; the comments,
however, are short and to the point, and easy enough to understand for those
not in the field.
Review Process
This book has been critically
reviewed by many peers, and is generally considered a good resource for young
scientists.
Suitability
While some of the papers
are a little over my head, I was able to understand the flow and point of the
material fairly well. The book goes into
some of the history of genetic disorders, and the most important field
discoveries in the 20th century.
I believe this book will help me develop a great foundation for research
on the topic.
Book 2
Authors, Editors, Translators, and/or compilers: Gerard Magill, Ph.D.
Title and Subtitle:
Genetics and ethics: an interdisciplinary study
Edition number or information: NA
Number(s) of volume used: NA
Name of series: NA
Place of publication: USA
Name of Publisher: Saint Louis University Press
Date of publication (copyright): 2004
Authority
The editor of this book,
Gereard Magill, Ph.D., is the Executive Director and Department Chair at the
Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. He received his Ph.D. from Edinburgh
University in 1987, and published many scholarly essays and several books. As an active member of 14 professional
associations, with over $6 million in grants awarded, and over 28 years of
teaching in graduate education, Dr. Magill is a well renowned expert in the
medical genetics field.
Timeliness
This book was also
published in 2004, however a lot of the same questions it asks still present
themselves; this book is ahead of its time in the sense that since the eight
years it was published have passed, some of the questions it posed have
transitioned from theoretical to practical.
Some technological breakthroughs discussed in this book are now a reality.
Documentation
Again, this book is a
compilation of essays from various experts in the genetics and medical fields
regarding the ethics of genetic medicine.
Each essay is summarized by Dr. Magill, where he provides his take and
usually the opposing perspective.
Review Process
This book and the essays in
it have been peer reviewed to exhaustion.
This book is recommended for the non-specialist reader, but also
designed for teachers, clinicians, scientists, policymakers, and scholars –
that shows the versatility of the book and the expansive knowledge base of the
authors and editor.
Suitability
As previously mentioned,
this book is intended for anyone and everyone; it contains detailed information
for specialists, but with layman explanations for the general public.
