Medical Genetics at a Glance [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ Dorian Pritchard (Author), Bruce R. Korf (Author) "Medicine is currently in a state of transformation, created by the convergence of two major aspects of technological advance..." (more)
Key Phrases: autosomal system, free earlobes, recessive homozygotes, Exon Aut, Overview Genetic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Pre-publication reviews

‘Here is a contemporary account of genetic science and its many applications that I have not found elsewhere… Students of all ages complain to me that there is no accessible text that brings together all of this information in a concise form. Well their wait is over!’

Specialist Registrar in Clinical Genetics, Nottingham

‘My congratulations to the authors!’

PRHO, Aldershot

Post-Publication Reviews

NEW REVIEW -- PRITCHARD / Medical Genetics at a Glance. Blackwell Publishing, 2003, $24.95.

[AUTHOR]

Pritchard, Dorian J. , BSc, DIp Gen, PhD; Korf, Bruce R., MD, PhD

[BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA]

ISBN: 0-632-06372-6, Series Title: At a Glance, 115 pages, soft cover.

[DOODY'S NOTES]

[REVIEWER'S EXPERT OPINION]

Ian Glass, MD, FRCP, FRACP, FACMG(University of Washington School of Medicine)

**Description**

This is an entirely new and very succinct general book summarizing genetics and its medical applications.

**Purpose**

It is primarily directed to medical students, whose time is limited, with the aim of providing a large volume of information in a study-friendly and exam-preparatory manner. This goal is beautifully achieved in an incredibly concise 100 pages of text and figures, based around three integrated sections describing, in turn, developmental biology, medical genetics, and clinical applications of genetics. The flow is deliberate. This book more than reaches its goals of providing a quick and efficient review of the subject because it is so invitingly concise and therefore intensely readable.

**Audience**

Although it might be considered redundant in a crowded marketplace for medical students, this book is extremely appealing and accessible and, indeed, other student groups may also avail themselves of it.

**Features**

The detail is greater than would be suggested from the page count alone. This is attained largely because the figures/illustrations in each chapter are superb. They are composed of beautiful and clear line drawings with pertinent interposed text. Each of the 48 chapters is composed of a simple but effective format -- a single page with a figure facing a single page of text. This format is disarmingly engaging to the reader, encouraging progression through an otherwise dense subject area. The text is very well written and easy to read. The figures live by the axiom, "a picture saves a thousand words," integrating very well with the text. The subheadings are helpful and the choice of clinical examples is appropriate, although necessarily brief. There is a good glossary and index.

**Assessment**

Although the presentation style may not appeal to all, the effective, succinct nature of the book will overcome any skepticism. Overall, this is an excellent, memorable book with a refreshing means of presentation.

Published Reviews of the 1st Edition

"The double page spread style has been attempted on numerous occasions by many different books, but I have not seen a book that does it as succesfully as this one. The pages don't look too daunting, even for a genetics book!

.as a supplementary text or moreover as a revision text, you could not imagine a more condensed text providing you with almost eveything you would want to know for your exams."

1st Year Medical Student, Liverpool Medical School
Sphincter, December 2003

"A clearly presented format and diagrams enables a wide range of practitioners, from students to those with an advanced interest, to gain a better understanding of a subject which will undoubtedly become more important in the coming years."

Micsum, Community Practitioner, January 2004

"The detail is greater than would be suggested fom the page count alone. This is attained largely because the figures/illustrations in each chapter are superb.

.The text is very well written and easy to read.

.Although the presentation style may not appeal to all, the effective, succinct nature of the book will overcome any skepticism. Overall, this is an excellent, memorable book with a refreshing means of presentation."

Ian Glass,MD,FRCP, FRACP, FACMG( University of Washington School Medicine), 13th August 2003

"This book is mainly addressed to individuals with a medically oriented background but is not inaccessible to all other readers. As a result it contains all the essential information needed in order to comprehend the aspects of this science. My personal opinion is that this book is quite easy to read, simply because it is separated into three main chapters and the concepts are delivered successfully to the reader with the aid of well labelled diagrams and figures including reliable statistics which put matters into perspective.

.this book is a well-written summation of all the key issues concerning medical genetics that would be worth adding to your collection of books."

GKT Gazette, January 2004

"My personal opinion is that this book is quite easy to read, simply because it is separated into three main chapters and the concepts are delivered successfully to the reader with the aid of well labelled diagrams and figures including reliable statistics which put matters into perspective.

...To conclude, this book is a well-written summation of all the key issues concerning medical genetics that would be worth adding to your collection of books."

Reviewer, BSc Molecular Biology, Guy's, King's, St. Thomas' Medical School
GKT Gazette, January 2004

"Thank goodness for this book...The strength is that it results in a very comprehensive book, which covers the theoretical aspects of preclinical medicine as well as highlighting the practical elements of genetics that are applied in clinical medicine.

...Fantastic if you are in a hurry, if you like to think in broad concepts and if you like your information packaged in pictorial form."

Oxford Medical School Gazette, vol. 54 (1)

"...for those that know some basics, and have been to genetics lectures and understood them a little...this book would add some more."

Medical Student, University of Bristol
Black Bag Freshers' Edition, Winter 2003

Review

Pre-publication reviews

‘Here is a contemporary account of genetic science and its many applications that I have not found elsewhere… Students of all ages complain to me that there is no accessible text that brings together all of this information in a concise form. Well their wait is over!’

Specialist Registrar in Clinical Genetics, Nottingham

‘My congratulations to the authors!’

PRHO, Aldershot

Post-Publication Reviews

NEW REVIEW -- PRITCHARD / Medical Genetics at a Glance. Blackwell Publishing, 2003, $24.95.

[AUTHOR]

Pritchard, Dorian J. , BSc, DIp Gen, PhD; Korf, Bruce R., MD, PhD

[BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA]

ISBN: 0-632-06372-6, Series Title: At a Glance, 115 pages, soft cover.

[DOODY'S NOTES]

[REVIEWER'S EXPERT OPINION]

Ian Glass, MD, FRCP, FRACP, FACMG(University of Washington School of Medicine)

**Description**

This is an entirely new and very succinct general book summarizing genetics and its medical applications.

**Purpose**

It is primarily directed to medical students, whose time is limited, with the aim of providing a large volume of information in a study-friendly and exam-preparatory manner. This goal is beautifully achieved in an incredibly concise 100 pages of text and figures, based around three integrated sections describing, in turn, developmental biology, medical genetics, and clinical applications of genetics. The flow is deliberate. This book more than reaches its goals of providing a quick and efficient review of the subject because it is so invitingly concise and therefore intensely readable.

**Audience**

Although it might be considered redundant in a crowded marketplace for medical students, this book is extremely appealing and accessible and, indeed, other student groups may also avail themselves of it.

**Features**

The detail is greater than would be suggested from the page count alone. This is attained largely because the figures/illustrations in each chapter are superb. They are composed of beautiful and clear line drawings with pertinent interposed text. Each of the 48 chapters is composed of a simple but effective format -- a single page with a figure facing a single page of text. This format is disarmingly engaging to the reader, encouraging progression through an otherwise dense subject area. The text is very well written and easy to read. The figures live by the axiom, "a picture saves a thousand words," integrating very well with the text. The subheadings are helpful and the choice of clinical examples is appropriate, although necessarily brief. There is a good glossary and index.

**Assessment**

Although the presentation style may not appeal to all, the effective, succinct nature of the book will overcome any skepticism. Overall, this is an excellent, memorable book with a refreshing means of presentation.

Published Reviews of the 1st Edition

"The double page spread style has been attempted on numerous occasions by many different books, but I have not seen a book that does it as succesfully as this one. The pages don't look too daunting, even for a genetics book!

.as a supplementary text or moreover as a revision text, you could not imagine a more condensed text providing you with almost eveything you would want to know for your exams."

1st Year Medical Student, Liverpool Medical School
Sphincter, December 2003

"A clearly presented format and diagrams enables a wide range of practitioners, from students to those with an advanced interest, to gain a better understanding of a subject which will undoubtedly become more important in the coming years."

Micsum, Community Practitioner, January 2004

"The detail is greater than would be suggested fom the page count alone. This is attained largely because the figures/illustrations in each chapter are superb.

.The text is very well written and easy to read.

.Although the presentation style may not appeal to all, the effective, succinct nature of the book will overcome any skepticism. Overall, this is an excellent, memorable book with a refreshing means of presentation."

Ian Glass,MD,FRCP, FRACP, FACMG( University of Washington School Medicine), 13th August 2003

"This book is mainly addressed to individuals with a medically oriented background but is not inaccessible to all other readers. As a result it contains all the essential information needed in order to comprehend the aspects of this science. My personal opinion is that this book is quite easy to read, simply because it is separated into three main chapters and the concepts are delivered successfully to the reader with the aid of well labelled diagrams and figures including reliable statistics which put matters into perspective.

.this book is a well-written summation of all the key issues concerning medical genetics that would be worth adding to your collection of books."

GKT Gazette, January 2004

"My personal opinion is that this book is quite easy to read, simply because it is separated into three main chapters and the concepts are delivered successfully to the reader with the aid of well labelled diagrams and figures including reliable statistics which put matters into perspective.

...To conclude, this book is a well-written summation of all the key issues concerning medical genetics that would be worth adding to your collection of books."

Reviewer, BSc Molecular Biology, Guy's, King's, St. Thomas' Medical School
GKT Gazette, January 2004

"Thank goodness for this book...The strength is that it results in a very comprehensive book, which covers the theoretical aspects of preclinical medicine as well as highlighting the practical elements of genetics that are applied in clinical medicine.

...Fantastic if you are in a hurry, if you like to think in broad concepts and if you like your information packaged in pictorial form."

Oxford Medical School Gazette, vol. 54 (1)

"...for those that know some basics, and have been to genetics lectures and understood them a little...this book would add some more."

Medical Student, University of Bristol
Black Bag Freshers' Edition, Winter 2003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 115 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (February 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0632063726
• ISBN-13: 978-0632063727
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,403,719 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for review, or as an addition to a course in genetics, March 31, 2005

By	Velvet Marmoset (Bethesda, MD United States) - See all my reviews

As an older medical student with some distance between me and my biology courses in college, I found this book extremely helpful in understanding medical genetics. Unfortunately, I didn't find it until after USMLE Step 1, but it would have been fantastic as a review tool to augment the sparse information that most Step 1 review books include on genetics. I can see it being an excellent companion to a medical or graduate school course in genetics, especially for those of us who never read the massive textbooks cover to cover....

This book included useful details that many review-style books fail to include, and the numerous pictures accompanying detailed, generally narrative-style text made for good reinforcement of facts and helped with memorization.

Things I found particularly useful --
Part I is devoted to developmental biology, and includes basic cell biology and embryology -- in about 30 pages. This was a great reference to have as I carried this book around on its own.

More information than the usual review-text on things like twin studies, genetic linkage, and gene mapping.

Excellent section on immunogenetics, covering the complicated rearrangements responsible for immunoglobulin diversity that are usually left to an immunology course, where the genetics aspects are poorly explained. This book helps you to synthesize the information you may have had presented in several different courses here, and presents things quite clearly and succinctly.

An entire Part devoted to clinical applications of genetics -- with individual sections that are nice and short, so while topics are well-described, they are not beaten into the ground, and you won't mind reading the whole thing!

Overall -- I wish I'd had this book sooner! It painlessly explains a lot of topics that I never quite got in my courses, and includes many diagrams that help with understanding AND memorization. It may lack the heavy clinical detail you might want in a reference for the wards as a medical student, but it's an excellent tool for the first two years, and for basic science review later.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great review of basic genetics, September 8, 2007

By	L. Smith "loganenator" (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used this book for my PhD qualifying exam studying and enjoyed the easy to reference and learn approach.